CIHM 

Microfiche 
Series 

(Monographs) 


iCMH 

Collection  de 

microfiches 

(monographies) 


Canadian  Inatituta  for  Niatorical  Microraproductiona  /  Niatitut  Canadian  da  mieroraprodMCtiOM  Matoriqyaa 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


Th«  InftRutt  has  atltmpttd  to  obtain  tha  bast  original 

copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  altar  any  of 
tha  Images  In  tha  raproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  changa  tha  usual  mattod  of  fflming  art 
chackad  below. 


Coloured  covers  / 
Couveilure  de  couleur 


I — I  Covers  damaged  / 


□ 


Couverture  endommagie 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pellicul^e 

.  Covar  titia  nfUssIng  /  La  titra  da  eouvartwa  manqua 

CokHirad  mapa  /  Cartas  gtegraphiquts  an  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 
Enera  da  couleur  (Le.  autre  que  bleue  ou  ndre) 


j — j  Cotoured  plates  and/or  illustrattons  / 


□ 
□ 
□ 


□ 


Planches  et/bu  INustrattons  en  colour 

Bound  with  other  material  / 
ReM  avee  d'autres  documents 

Only  edition  available  / 
Seule  Mition  dteponible 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion  along 
interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serrie  peut  causer  de 
I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorskm  la  tong  de  la  marge 
int^rieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restorations  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have  been 
ondttcd  from  filming  /  II  se  peut  que  cerlaines  pases 
blanches  ajout^es  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais.  lorsque  cela  Itait 
possbie,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  M  ftlmies. 


L'lnstHut  a  microfilm*  le  meiiieur  exemplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
i\k  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem> 
plaire  qui  sont  peut-^tre  unk)ues  du  point  de  vue  bibli* 
ograpMque,  qui  peuvent  mocSner  une  Image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  mitho* 
de  normale  de  fitmage  sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 

I    )  Colourad  pages/ Pages  decouleitf 

I    I  Pages  damaged/ Pages  endormnagies 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  rastauries  ct/ou  peiHeul^ 


□ 

Q Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
Pages  d^eotoiies.  tachet^es  ou  ^utea 

I    I  Pages  detached  /  Pages  d^tach^es 

Showthrough  /  Transparence 


of 

□ 
□ 


□ 


Quality  of  print  varies  / 
Quaiiti  inigale  de  rin^resston 

Includes  supplementary  material  / 
Comprend  du  materiel  ^  ^rr:  ^r-ientaire 

Pages  wholly  or  pan  c  y  t  scjred  by  errata  slips, 
tissues,  etc.,  have  bee  .j^ilmed  lo  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Le&  "jes  totalement  ou 
partieHement  obscurcies  par  un  fetAlet  d'errata,  une 
pelure,  etc.,  ont  £t4  filmies  i  nouveau  de  k 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discotourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  lavage  /  Les  pages  s'opposant  ayant  des 
colorations  variables  ou  des  decolorations  sont 
fiim^es  deux  fois  alin  d'obtenir  la  meilleure  image, 
possible. 


□ 


Additional  comments  / 
Conwnenlalres  suppMmentaires: 


Thti  H*m  ts  fBm«d  »t  th«  rtduellon  rttio  eheektd  b«low  / 

Ct  decumtnlMt  VHimi  au  Uux  dt  rMuctten  ln«h)irf  ci>dtss»M. 

lOx  14x  18x  22x  26x  30x  

I  I  I  I  I  I  M  I  I  !✓!  I  I  I  I  I  I  I  I  |-n- 

12x  16x  20x  24x  28x  32x 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

NatloMl  Library  of  Canada 


L'  exemplaire  filnt*  fut  reproduit  griee  ii  la 
g^n^rositA  de: 

MbHotM»w  MtloMl*  du  Camada 


This  title  was  microfilmed  with  the  generous 
permission  of  the  rights  holder: 


Ce  titre  a  6\6  microfilm^  avec  I'ainiable  autorlsation 
du  d^tenteur  des  droits: 


Itovfd  H.  Str1iigM> 


Dwld  H.  SfeHngM* 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility  of 
the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the  filnting 
contract  specifications. 

Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on  the 
last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impression,  or 
the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All  other  original 
copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the  first  page  with  a 
printed  or  illustrated  impression,  and  ending  on  the 
last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche  shall 
contain  the  symbol  -♦(meaning  "CONTINUED"),  or 
the  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"),  whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed  begin- 
ning in  the  upper  left  hand  comer,  left  to  right  and 
top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as  required.  The 
following  diagrams  illustrate  the  method: 


1 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6\6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tenu  c<e  la  condition  et  de 
la  netteti  de  I'exemplaire  f\\m6,  et  en  conformity 
avec  les  corKMiont  du  contrat  de  filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim^e  sont  film^s  en  commenfant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
demi^re  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte  d'im- 
pression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second  plat, 
selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires  origin- 
aux sont  film^s  en  comment  ant  par  la  premiere 
page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte  d'impression  ou 
d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par  la  dernidre  page 
qui  comporte  une  telle  empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
demi^re  image  de  chaque  microfiche,  selon  le  cas: 
le  symbote  -»  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le  symbole  Y 
signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Stre 
film^s  k  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents.  Lorsque 
le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre  reproduit  en 
un  seul  clichd,  il  est  ii\m6  k  partir  de  Tangle 
sup^rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  k  droite.  et  de  haut 
en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre  d  'images 
n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants  illustrent  la 
m^thode. 


1 


2 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

3 


MICROCOfY  RiSOlUTION  TEST  CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


A   /APPLIED  IM^E  Inc 

1653  East  Moin  i'reel 
Rochester,  Neo  York      14609  USA 
(716)  482  -  OJOO  -  Phon* 
(716)  268  -  5969  -  Fox 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


} 


4 


THE 

HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


By  ARTHUR  STRINGER 


"Are  An  Men  Alike  and  The  Lost  Titian,"  "The  Door 
«f  Dread."  "Phantom  Wirea."  "The  Prairie  Mother." 
•Twwr,"  The  Uadar  Groove,"  'The  Wina  of  Ltfe," 
"Nmr  FUl  BUmT  els. 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY 
Publishcw  N«w  Yofk 

PaUUM  IvaiaMiaMM  with  Tkt  UnWuMmfli 

Printed  In  U.  8.  A. 


THE  HOUSE  OF 
INTRIGUE 


CHAPl  £R  ONE 

1>BFORS  the  tut-flap  of  mry  ram's  soul,  r 
I-'  tliiBk,ilM|MaiTOll4wimdtiiitaiifwmtoth^ 
MOM  o£  IntfaKt  And  Inttliict  stood  up  and 
dwwcd  tte  wliitt  of  an  ejre  u  Big  Ben  Locke 
ceotiid  ovtr  to  tfie  oAoa  door  and  «wting  it  shut. 

'Caddie,"  he  said,  as  he  sank  back  in  his  creaking 
•whtl  dMir,  '^I  want  to  talk  to  you.  I've  got  to 
tidktoyoii." 

'^Ahonl  whatr  I  asked,  woodering  as  to  the  ori- 
fill  of  tide  aewbotn  imed  of  hitinK 

"About  flitr  he  dedared,  as  he  si .  diere  blinking 
4owii  at  Ma  desk-top,  apparently  digesting  that  un- 
loolped-lor  aadadty  if  bracketing  his  augu  self 
with  one  his  younger  operatives.  And  low  was 
graad  Irani  that  four-footed  shadow  standing 
on  guard  over  the  timorous  souls  of  women.  For 
Ufa  htd  long  stao^  taught  me  to  beware  the  man  of 

,1 


Z        THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


power  with  meekness  in  his  cy*.  Yet  I  waited,  out- 
wardly calm,  for  the  Chief  to  ccmtiniie. 

"You're  kind  of  tired  out,  aren't  you,  Baddie?" 
he  ventured,  in  a  sort  of  eager  sdidtude,  as  he 
finally  let  his  eye  meet  mine.  It  was  that  glance  of 
his,  more  than  the  question  itself,  which  made  the 
ghost-hound  still  growling  from  the  door-mat  of 
my  soul  suddenly  lift  his  nose  in  the  air  and  kai-yai 
aloud. 

"I  don't  think  I've  ever  complained,"  I  parried, 
doing  my  best  to  buckle  on  that  armor  of  imptnoBh 
ality  which  half  a  million  business  girls  of  America 
have  learned  to  don,  morning  fay  momii^  as  sur^ 
as  they  don  their  straight-fronts. 

"But  what  would  you  say  to  a  little  holiday?"  the 
Chief  was  asking  me,  with  a  sort  of  hang'ilog  wist- 
f  uhiess  that  made  my  heart  go  down,  floor  by  flocar, 
like  a  freight  elevator,  until  it  bundled  i^jaiart  l3at 
very  bed-rock  of  desperaticm. 

"Where?"  I  rather  inanely  asked,  trying  to  cover 
up  the  catch  m  my  breath.  For  Big  Ben  Locke  had 
always  struck  me  as  a  roan  of  iron,  as  aom^tdag 
as  solid  as  a  tocomotive.  In  and  out  of  that  office 
he'd  always  seemed  to  awing  throufl^  hit  duster 
of  operatives,  mm  and  women  alike,  about  the  same 
as  the  Traaaooatiiieatal  Limited  swings  timwi^  the 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  3 


dump  of  tradMumries  who  step  quietly  aside  to  let 
ti»  big  Mogul  tlnnider  post 

"Anywiiere  you  say,"  he  explained  in  his  heavy 
dKHHonet.  **Long  Beadi  for  three  or  four  days, 
or  a  nm  down  to  Hot  Springs !" 

"On  a  caaer  I  queried.  Yet  I  tried  to  make  it 
more  m  prompt  cue  than  a  question,  in  a  sort  of 
frantic  eagerness  to  get  the  big  Mogul  safely  back 
on  the  rails. 

"No,  Baddie,"  he  announced  with  a  deliberation 
whicb  leaiwd  to  translate  that  announcement  into 
aa  nhiniatum,  "just  for  a  holiday!"  And  hope 
wtnt  out  of  my  heart  like  light  out  of  a  room  when 
a  twitch  is  turned.  For  I  knew  then  what  he  meant. 
I  knew  it  beyond  a  shadow  of  doubt  And  if  Big 
Ben  Lod»  had  quietly  reached  to  his  desk  and  taken 
1^  an  Indian  pogamoggan  and  with  it  struck  me 
over  the  head,  I  don't  think  I  could  have  been  more 
•tartled.  It  was  nnbetievable.  It  was  unfair.  It 
waa  tmreasoniMe.  It  was  as  absurb  as  standing 
Aera  and  wHneaaing  a  Tottenville  coast-gun  try- 
ing to  do  a  fox-trot 

doB't-don't  nnderttand,"  I  quavered,  trying 
td  vnMam  ny  bewiktemient  For  always,  in  that 
office,  rd  btea  taught  to  cover  up  every  warmer 
iufKim  oi  ttfs^  to  hide  my  human  fedings  under  a 


4       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTSIGUE 


false  front  of  cynicism,  the  same  m  hald  tif idi4 
men  hide  their  barren  bumps  of  iwemdm  fe»> 
tooning  them  with  side-fringes  from  below  the  tifn- 
ber-line.  I  prided  myself  on  knowing  the  world, 
and  its  shams.  But  no  woman,  I've  conduded,  can 
be  sure  of  any  man's  character  tmtil  ^^teen  and 
studied  him  for  half  a  lifetime,  and  Aea,  l&e  the 
poor  old  philosopher  in  Pisgah  Sights,  oi 
wisdom  dawns  on  her  only  when  they  start  letteriof 
her  tombstone. 

"I'm  trying  to  make  you  understand,"  txplmatd 
Big  Ben,  in  his  grim  and  ponderous  meekness.  Tor 
I  may  as  well  teU  you  now,  straiglu  out,  Baddies  ^ 
you've  got  me  beat  I" 

"Got  you  beat!"  And  I  echoed  Oat  odkxis 
phrase  in  a  helpless  sort  of  gasp,  for  I  saw  nf  posi- 
tion in  that  office  suddenly  blowing  op  ISkt  ^  fHh- 
and-hluecirctis4)aUooii.  And  that  positkmliadgrowa 
into  sometbiQg  more  tinn  a  mere  habit  wi&  me. 
It  had  become  a  neoess^.  It  hdd  me  in  tlit 
world,  the  same  as  a  mirsery  "wafieer^  holds  vp  a 
diild  still  uncertain  as  to  the  use  of  its  legs. 

"You're  diflfcrent,  of  cottrse^**  caatfanied  tfie 
heavy-jawed  man  in  the  swtvd  chair.  "And  ^m^§ 
what  I  like  about  you.  You're—*' 
"Don't  1"  I  said,  trjrtsg  to  kssp  hin  toa  aoib. 


TH£  HOUSE  OF  INTIUGUE  $ 


lag  the  shake  in  my  knees.  I  hated  to  sec  him  stare 
«t  me  with  those  hungry-looking  eyes  of  his,  like  an 
oid  mastiff's.  It  seemed  to  demean  him,  that  incon- 
frnotis  humility  of  his,  ahnost  as  much  as  it  de- 
ni«ned  me.  It  seemed  to  leave  the  whole  world 
fetid  and  tainted,  like  the  smoke-laden  and  breathed- 
over  air  of  a  "revue"  theater  when  you  happen  in 
en  the  last  act.  It  made  me  ache  for  out-of-doofs, 
for  the  final  sanity  of  a  fresh  wind  against  my  face. 

There  was  a  time,  I  remembered,  when  it  might 
not  have  meant  so  much  to  me.  But  things  were 
different  now.  I'd  worn  the  shoe-leather  of  civili- 
ation,  and  I  had  to  face  its  penalty  of  being  tender- 
footed.  So  a  feeling  strangely  like  hate  smoldered 
deep  down  in  my  heart,  hate  for  that  heavy-bodied 
aaitiial  who  seemed  something  of  the  Stone  Age 
whete  man  stimned  his  dinner  with  a  dub  and  ate 
it  fair. 

''Baddie,"  that  poor  purblind  cave-man  in  the 
twentieth-century  swivel  chair  was  trying  to  tell 
me,  "you're  too  hanged  good-k)oking  for  this  sleutb- 
ii^workherer 

I  looked  at  him.  He  seemed  almost  pathetic,  with 
that  sirupy  sort  of  smile  wrinkling  his  big  ursine 
hct.  And  for  a  moment  I  was  able  to  rcmantbal 
my  scattering  lines  of  courage. 


6       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Too  didn't  tdl  me  tiwt,"  I  toneiiriuit  trenn- 
lowlf  icmnded  ham,  **whm  jaa  took  tne  into 
office.  Yon  took  the  peine  to  ennoitnce,  in  fact,  that 
an  operative  who  didn't  kwk  like  ft  hca-hawk  and 
dress  like  a  scmb^woman  would  be  of  ^edal  valae 
to  yoo  in  your  wock  r 

Bat  uqpmmt,  bef<m  that  barbaric  mediod  of 
attadc,  was  oirt  of  Uie  qnertion.  It  was  like  tryii^ 
to  hold  dttoonrse  widi  a  hui^gry  grizcfy.  And  vay 
helpiesmess  in  Hm  whtAt  Htung  sent  a  tidal  wave  of 
exasperation  duroni^  my  tinj^ing  body. 

'31^  yo^ie  too  yotu^  ior  all  this»  Baddie,"  my 
sad-eyed  ogtt  of  persecntion  went  on.  If  s  loo 
fuU  oi  ^img^  icr  a  girl  Iflce  your 

'*So  it  seem»r  was  ny  bitter  retort  Btttit  wcaft 
from  him,  like  water  off  a  dt^s  badL 

Ifsftdl  of  risks,  my  dear,  full  of  rida^"  he  vest 
Imnbering  on,  as  dioii|^  his  patemton  w^  a 
string  to  it  were  ^e  kttt  haven  for  the  slocuHioesed 
heart  of  jrouth. 

1  thhik  that  was  13»  part  of  it  wUch  n^hcr  ^ 
pealed  to  me,"  I  contended,  with  a  ioal  effort  at 
cahrnim  "And  I  don^t  think  I  ever  complained 
^fcwrt     danstiWi  ite  honest  thmPMrs.** 

'^o^  yon  havca^"  admitted  the  CUef .  "And  I 


THE  HOUSE  OF  DITRIGUE  7j 


like  you  for  it.  I  like  you  a  mighty  lot  And  I  want 
to  make  life  easier  for  you.  1  want—" 
At  that  I  cut  him  short 

"How  are  you  going  to  make  life  easier  for  nse?* 
I  suddenly  and  shrilly  demanded,  with  Caution  no 
longer  standing  there  and  plucking  me  by  the  dee^  ^ 
I'd  seen  enough  of  the  world  to  know  when  a  fitoaf 
tion  such  as  this  had  liecome  hopeless.  And  iu  my 
heart  of  hearts  I  realized  that  I'd  reached  my  Ri^ 
con,  and  that  I  had  to  cross  it. 

For  a  moment  or  two  there  was  no  response  to 
that  challenge  of  mine.  Then  we  both  rose  from 
our  chairs,  slowly  and  deliberately.  It  was  ahaott 
ridiculous.  You  may  have  noticed  two  pullets  do 
much  the  same  thing,  two  chicken-run  omnLatanls 
coming  slowly  up  together  and  continuing  to  eye 
each  other  as  they  go  circling  slowly  about  with  their 
neck-feathers  all  ruffl*^  up. 

"Don't  you  think,"  L  g  Ber  quietly  yet  ponder- 
ously asked  me  as  he  rounded  his  desk-end,  "doat 
you  think  love  can  alwa3rs  make  it  that  way?" 

It  made  me  gasp.  And  as  I  backed  away  f  rma  the 
big  hand  which  he  reached  out  towaixi  my  shoulder  I 
saw,  as  clear  as  daylight,  the  cowardly  advantejc 
he  was  taking  of  his  position. 


•       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


it  Mn.  IxMke't  opteioii  of  tiistr  I  adoB^ 
trying  hard  to  awaSow  liie  aoddeii  dwke  in  nijr 
tiiroat  But  that  diofce  eonldii't  be  wmtSkrmd,  for 
Inftead  of  betag  in  mf  nttk,  it  waa  aonawliere  2a 
my  heart  I  didn't  want  to  huigfa.  B«it  I  mad^ 
myadf,  for  I  knewtiiat  if  I  didn't  langii Tdba 
iqg  Vkt  »  baby  and  coviiiug  a  perfectly  good  Um 
aerge  waiat-frMit  with  ipota* 

There  weren't  many  peoplci  I  knewt  ep*4d  affofd 
to  huigh  at  Big  Ben  Lodca.  I  waant  igaoiaat  of 
what  it  woold  coat  me^  for  the  aama  hand  that  had 
wielded  that  oncooth  pogauMfgaa  waa  idao^w  ittad 
tiiat  doled  out  the  waafOBL  I  ooidd  aee  what  waa 
eomii^  Bttt  I  di^'t  care  any  longer.  The  pica- 
anre  waa  more  than  I  ooidd  atMid.  So  I  let  tiie 
gates  swing  open  and  Ae  flood  go  tunibling  out  I 
aimply  blew  vp,  as  poor  old  Bad  Griawold  wooid 
have  phrased  it 

"Listen  to  me,"  I  said,  aa  I  faced  iht  master  of 
thatcffice.  "Yoo  may  be  a  great  detective,  and  yon 
nay  control  the  pay  emreteptof  aeoq^of  Inmdred 
people,  but  until  you're  naa  enough  to  loww  tiw 
dilfeienoe  between  decency  and  iiukytncy  yoo'ia 
never  going  to  keep  one  kind  of  wonam  on  your 
pay-list.  And  I'm  that  kind.  Untfl  you're  able  to 
detect  the  difoenoe  between  a  girl  n^'a^" 


THE  UOOSSL  OP  IMTRIGUB  t 


'^tttr  hUemipted  ^  Chief. 

He»  I  can't  wait»  and  I  won't  wait,"  I  flrngback 
at  liiiii,  "for  I've  waited  too  kmg.  You  may  vm 
yAmt  yoa  call  a  dowiMMrfwoatef  in  petticoats  for  a 
lew  finet  of  your  woifc,  but  don't  make  the  mistahe 

pirttiny  nie  m  that  data  faeeaaae  I  happened  to  do 
fomeof  ^wofk  loryoa*  It  nay  haw  odled  f or 
«  diefl  of  coaraenew»  more  often  dwn  not,  and  I 
gm  yoa  what  yoa  wanted.  I  wore  commonness 
lor  yoOt  the  same  as  I  wore  this  nickel  badge  of 
yoors.  And  I  may  have  picked  tq>  the  trick  of 
haiHfTTf  over  your  Eighth  Ward  style  of  talk  be- 
canse  yon  pointed  out  that  it  often  paid  in  your  line 
of  bnsirwss.  But  I've  liveh.  dean,  and  I'm  going  lo 
alqr  deaa  Yon  even  liioni^  yoa  could  break  my 
tfiih  by  givhig  me  the  worst  of  yonr  roug^i-Qedi 
weilc  hi  ttat  Antontno  abdtirtinn  case.  I  didn't  even 
object  when  you  need  me  as  a  pknt  for  that  Mana* 
Aet  photogi'^to  up  hi  the  Aiaide  Bmlduig  when 
ha  adverliaed  for  %uwi  mndela  And  yoa  pm  ma 
#Mgb  aeoie  moves  that  cp!^  mhaLM  womm 
wonld  have  endured  when  we  rounded  up  that 
BpooUjpii  fittf  rlaimi  couple.  But  I  swallowed  it 
aSbeauselknewIwaawoddaf  onthesideof  the 
km,  TImo  k  befan  to  dawn  on  you  diat  I  could  do 
the  fiacr  iiacaol  wofk,  attilc'i^tepM  by  immm 


10      THE  HOUSE  OF  DTTiaGUE 


me  up  and  using  me  as  a  tpolter  on  that  Fifth 
Avenue  bus-route.  Then  you  saw  I  wan't  a  faihire 
on  that  Rosenthal  wire-tapping  case  and  even  de- 
cided to  send  me  into  society.  You  found  you  oottld 
rent  me  out  as  a  guard  for  these  Fifth  Avenue 
weddings  where  the  bride's  family  don't  seem  above 
fltealing  back  the  silver  butter-dishes  if  they  get  the 
chance.  I  could  go  among  those  guests  without  any 
of  them  dreaming  I  wasn't  one  of  them.  I  could 
live  at  the  St.  Regis  for  three  weeks,  when  I  had  to 
shadow  those  Nevada  mine-swindlers  for  you,  with- 
out even  the  house-detective  finding  out  I  wasn't  one 
of  the  Four  Hundred.  And  I  didn't  object  to  any 
of  that  work.  I  almost  liked  the  excitement  of  it 
%  was  helpii^  yaa  to  rtm  down  crooks.  And  I  soon 
saw  how  clever  you  were  at  that  work.  You  seemed 
to  know  all  their  tricks,  and  just  how  their  minds 
woiked,  and  just  what  they'd  do  under  ai^  given 
conditions.  And  now  I  know  why.  Yon  cooU 
tmderttand  them,  and  forestall  them,  evciy  move, 
because  you  were  one  of  them.  I  know*  now,  that 
you  were  nothing  but — '* 

"Stop  1"  boomed  out  Big  Ben,  and  I  bad  the  sati*- 
faction  of  seeing  his  cdor  deepen. 

"But  you  don't  know  women,  Mr.  Lodca*' '  I  swept 
on,  for  the  whole  thing  had  rather  fooe  to  niy  head 


rm  HGMB  or  nmasm  it 


X  was  at  drank  ai  a  retervatioa  back  in  the  last 
ilKpt  of  a  ia»4aiioe.  "And  you  don't  know  what 
dteMcgr  ii»  or  you'd  nemr  hcfa' cheapened  your 
name  and  your  work  the  way  you've  cheapened  it 
rigjht  here  in  this  office.  And  I  repeat  that  I've 
nafcr  objected  to  working  for  the  law.  But  I  do  ob- 
ject to  woridi^  for  a  yellow  cur.  And  as  I  consider 
you  one,  I'm  going  to  walk  out  of  this  office  and 
this  position  before  you  can  make  a  bluff  at  saving 
that  broken-winded  dtgmty  of  yowa  by  diachafgiog 
me!" 

My  hands  were  shaking  and  something  had  un« 
doobledly  goiie  wrong  widi  my  knee-joints,  but  £ 
mm^ied  to  pull  on  my  gkuvcs  and  cross  to  the  door 
at  my  last  niachine^;un  of  rage  emptied  itself 
against  his  aldermamc  vest-front.  And  before  Big 
Ben  Locke  could  get  his  breath  or  sink  bade  in  his 
nrtvd  chair  I  stepped  through  that  door  and 
damned  It  after  me,  tianwned  it  so  hard  that  the 
l^aaa  rattled  in  the  frame  and  little  Dugmore,  in  the 
outer  office,  stared  at  me  with  eyes  as  round  as 
saucers. 

I  didn't  even  wait  to  take  the  elevator.  I  walked 
down.  And  when  I  landed  on  Broadway  I  felt  as 
though  I'd  fallen  from  a  Turkish-bath  steam-roont 
I  scandy  knot  whkh  mr^}  headed.  But  I  kipt 


12      THE  HOUSB  OF  INTBIGUB 


on  wandng;  for  then  wat  s  fevtr  in  nqr  htoad  tlMt 

I  may  have  saved  my  self-respect,  but,  in  the 
language  of  the  worker,  I'd  lost  my  job.  I'd  lost  my 
jobi  That  fact  kept  going  back  and  forth  in  the 
empty  garret  of  my  head,  like  a  bat  in  a  house  attic 
I'd  had  my  say;  I'd  set  off  my  fire-works;  I'd  eased 
aqr  foul  oi  itt  anfer;  but  now  there  waa  the  piper  to 

I  was  more  than  humiliated ;  I  was  stunned.  Ben- 
jamin Locke  had  seemed  something  almost  blood- 
less to  me,  as  cold  and  metallic  a  thing  as  the  Sher- 
man statue  in  the  Plaza.  It  gave  me  sudden  «id 
aidkenhig  doubts  as  to  my  own  personality,  to  re- 
member how  I'd  been  the  instrument  that  had 
bronjg^  Big  Ben  down  from  his  pedestaL  Was  I 
the  wrong  sort,  «  ter  all?  I  kept  asking  myself. 
Were  all  my  ideas  about  fair  dealing  and  right 
living  only  talk,  only  the  crazy  ideal  of  convent 
girls  wlu>  forget  the  turgid  streams  that  flow 
trough  every  great  city?  And  was  the  fight  I'd 
htea.  making  for  a  footing  in  that  upper  world  nebb- 
ing more  than  the  moonshine  Big  Ben's  overtures 
tried  to  make  it?  And  wiyi  it  even  wc»th  whil^  I 
asked  myself. 

Something;  in  diat  moment  of  stresi»  fell  awagr 


THE  moaeM^  m  mnaxssm  it 

fnm  nm,  and  kft  me  half  pagan  again.  Acrosi 
two  long  yean  of  retpecUbiHty  came  some  ghostly 
call  of  the  wild,  vaguely  unsettling  me,  as  the  sud- 
den beat  of  tomtoms  might  disturb  the  stateliest 
porter  iriw  ever  wore  the  uniform  of  the  Pullman 
Company.  It  took  me  back  to  the  old  manner  of 
thought  and  speech  and  made  me  ask  if  it  wouldn't 
be  better  to  slip  down  to  Slim  Totten's  hang-out 
and  inquire  if  he  wasn't  in  need  of  a  gun-moU  to 
gay-cat  for  him  in  his  esUUished  profession  of 
bank-sneak?  Or  swing  in  with  Trigger  Lennygan 
on  his  annual  migration  to  the  Pacific  Coast  as  a 
hotel-beat?  For  I  had  a  sudden  hunger  to  put  space 
between  me  and  the  scene  of  my  humiliation.  I  had 
a  feeling  that  San  Francisco  and  Los  Angeles  would 
seem  more  home-like  than  this  sodden  Great  White 
Way  that  was  no  more  white  than  the  flue  of  a 
smoke-stack  is  white. 

But  I  knew,  once  I'd  thought  it  over,  that  there 
could  be  no  going  back.  I  hadn't  the  courage,  for 
courage  b  the  first  thing  that  civilization  seems  to 
Ukt  away  from  us.  I  hadn't  climbed  far,  on  that 
toward  trail,  but  to  get  even  where  I  had  got  had 
cost  me  too  much  to  let  me  think  of  slipping  back 
into  that  Black  Valley  behind  me.  When  a  girl 
ia  figjiting  fiwr  a  k»t  poittioii,  I'd  found,  ifa  ahnoat. 


ft  . 


14      THE  HOUSB  OP  IMTRIGIIB 

harder  than  fightiiig  for  life  itself.  There's  alwtyt 
wtMm  oat,  when  she's  fighting  for  the  latter,  to 
tiirow  her  a  life-buoy.  But  every  buoy  die  gets,  in 
tfie  other  sort  of  fight,  comet  with  a  line  to  it,  a  line 
iHiich  may  look  like  rescue  at  one  end  but  tumi  into 
iomething  terribly  like  capture  at  the  other. 

No,  I  told  myself,  I  couldn't  go  back  I  There  were 
certain  things  now  that  would  always  nuke  a  dif* 
ference.  The  rabbit-dog,  I  remembered,  alwaya 
had  the  advantage  of  the  cotton-tail.  It's  better 
being  the  hunter  than  the  hunted, — and  it's  incom- 
parably more  comfortaUe.  It's  safer  having  a 
nickel  badge  under  your  ooat4apel  than  a  record  on 
the  policfi-bWter  that  gives  you  prairie-squttrt  kxdc- 
ing  for  Central  Office  "singed  cats."  I'd  even  grown 
to  like  the  *abbit-dog  side  of  the  business,  with  all 
the  machinery  of  Big  Ben  Locke's  offices  to  back 
me  up  when  it  came  to  a  tangled  trail  and  all  the 
majesty  of  the  law  of  the  commonwealth  to  inte> 
pose  an  arm  when  it  came  to  a  tight  comer. 

But  I'd  lost  my  position!  That  dolorous  fact 
kept  tolling  at  the  back  of  my  head,  the  same  as  the 
bells  of  Trinity  toll  above  the  noonday  tumult  of 
Wall  Street  And  I'd  never  been  the  sort  of  girl 
that  had  new  positions  forever  whimpering  at  her 
beels.  The  only  other  offer  I'd  had  was  from  the 


THE  HOUSS  OP  OmUGUE  15 

man  with  the  three-carat  diamond  in  the  Asteroid 
Theater  Building.  He  had  told  me  that  if  I  "fleshed 
up"  he  thought  he  could  place  me  in  a  road  company 
•t  twenty  dollars  a  week.  That  was  earlier  in  the 
year,  \/hen,  like  about  every  other  empty-headed 
girl  out  of  ATork,  I  considered  the  possibility  of 
•tepping  up  into  stage  work,  very  much  the  same 
as  you  step  into  an  air-ship,  and  floating  off  among 
the  star?  that  spell  their  own  names  to  the  skies  in 
colored  electric  bulbs. 

But  I  hadn't  "fleshed  up."  The  hot  weather  and 
the  worry  of  it  all,  in  fact,  had  left  me  as  thin  as 
a  rail,  and  often,  in  the  elevator  mirrors,  I  grimly 
asked  myself  why  somebody  didn't  mistake  me  for 
the  poison  label  on  a  medicine  bottle.   One  thing, 
however,  I  still  possessed.  And  that  was  the  ironi- 
cally well-tailored  raiment  in  which  le  Locke  office 
had  togged  me  out.  Those  clothes,  I  knew,  would 
have  to  take  the  place  of  the  back  pay  which  the 
Chief  would  never  now  surrender.  And  fine  feath- 
ers, I  also  knew,  usually  made  fine  birds.   So  then 
and  there  I  decided  to  go  back  to  the  three-carat 
diamond  man  and  ask  him  to  reopen  that  road-com- 
pany offer.   For  above  aU  things  I  was  afraid  of 
idleness.  I  was  nothing  but  a  sort  of  human  whip- 
top,  and  Qofest  something  k^  me  on  the  move,  al- 


16      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


ways  on  the  move,  tiiere  was  the  iKver-ending  dan- 
goxo^  over. 

That  dedsion  trough  me  bade  to  eardi  again, 
i  kxdced  about  me,  took  bearii^;^  and  resolutely 
headed  lor  the  Asteroid  Theater  Buildiiig.  I  drifted 
bade  dowa  Broadw^  wt&  a  sudden  new  hope  in 
my  heart.  The  tide  had  already  turned.  I  kept 
rtptaJdag  poor  ohl  Bud  Griswold's  slogan  to  tiie 
effect  diat  it  always  pays  to  kttp  vip  a  good  front 
For  as  Bud  used  to  say,  I  never  could  be  stnmg  on 
tiie  crape  and  brolnn-coknttn  business.  And  I  for- 
got to  nctice  that  that  tourirt's  sliun  kmywn  as  the 
Great  White  Way  was  as  ugly  as  it  had  seemed  a 
diort  hall-hmnr  bef<»e. 

I  was  quite  ccm^osed  as  I  sent  in  my  card  to  the 
three-carat  man,  who  was  alone  in  his  c^Sce  at  the 
end  of  a  day's  work.  Then  I  strolted  into  the  room 
^t  was  bhie  with  ctgar«noke  and  confrMited  tlM 
three-carat  man  in  pmon.  His  name  was  Hey^ 
And  he  was  m  his  shirt-deeves. 

He  nniled  as  he  swung  half-way  tomd  in  his 
awivd  diair.  I  though  at  finrt  that  k  was  a  Idndlty 
smile. 

"So  you've  come  bade  after  that  road-annpany 
worl^  dt?**  he  s«d,  as  he  relit  his  wdl  chewed  agar. 
I  noticed  tfai^  he  did  not  smoke  with  a  dry  hp.  And 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  IJT 

his  Hp«  we«  Aide,  so  the  miidiiwrbrowii  wm 
spread. 

'Then  yott  remember  me?"  I  cooed,  wMi  a  flutter 

of  sdf-sadsfied  hope. 

"Sure^'*  was  his  easy  rejoinder.  He  leaned  bade  in 
his  diair  and  lotdced  me  over.  I  knew  toi,  in  one 
flash,  why  rd  always  hated  the  thoiq^  of  stage 
work.  It  was  that  look,  the  took  that  came  from 
all  of  them,  the  look  that  I  linew  would  forever 
curdle  my  marrow.  It  waa  the  took  that  left  women 
merely  flesh,  live  stodt  to  be  duty  apptaiaed  by  the 
buyer.  And  it  made  me  feel  that  I  had  Mves  and 
netde-rash  and  scarlethia  all  at  oooe. 

"You're  too  ranA  of  «  queen  to  fade  out  of  Ihia 
busy  bean  of  mme  hi  one  abort  aummer,"  he  cafanly 
announced. 

He  was  bald  and  h»  eyes  protnided.  Yet  in  the 
strong  dde-li|^  from  the  office  window,  I  no&xd, 
tfioee  eyes  were  the  softest  of  teid^brown.  I  h^ 
to  meet  Aeir  gknce,  howevw,  for  Aey  made  me 
think  of  a  sleq>y  dkuncmd-bBck  ratde^nake  curled 
19  bdundsoo  glass.  I  sinred  19  at  Oie  portia^  of 
Jtose  ESton  m  the  okl^fashkmed  Mi&igi  ^ 
old-fashioned  nierry«iefS7.  I  stated  at  htf  bittowy 
lines  and  remembered  had  si  soma  tiiat 

«*fiedicdf^lo^ishrifeHidK4  IsitttdttftpMl* 


18       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


gn^  of  Flyim  and  Rioe»  and  at  eq^it  pkfcitres  of 
a  male  star  spnwlii^;  over  eis^  diffeitirt  pieces  of 
ftmutiir^  anl  at  five  more  of  a  mating  Idol  kanii^ 
against  mantels.  Then  I  got  courage  to  look  bade  at 
tlw  brown-velvet  eyes,  whkli  seemed  to  be  enjoying 
my  discomfiture. 

"Can  you  give  me  -giwe  me  woik?*  I  finally 
sqoeaked  out,  like  a  fidd-monse  cowed  by  a  black- 
smdce* 

"Sure/*  said  the  man  ia  tiie  eternal  office  swivel 
chair.  His  akin  was  saOow,  and  he  hxiked  as  thonc^ 
he  had  tobacco-heart  I  was  afrakl  of  him,  not 
merely  because  he  was  so  sure  of  himsdf,  but  be- 
ca^  he  seemed  so  sure  of  me. 

"How  soon  could  you  give  it  to  fotf  I  namaged 
toaak. 

He  seemed  to  be  tiiiiddng  this  over. 

"What's  the  matter  wi^  our  getting  somewhere 
quiet,  where  we  can  taSc  tilings  over— Carhoo  Ter- 
race for  dinner,  A,  and  then  a  nm  out  to  Oyster 
Eddfe's?" 

It  was  aboitf  time,  instiiKt  told  me,  to  buckle  on 
tibe  armor-plate. 
"Whafs  the  matter  with  gettmg  down  to  bttsmess 

right  here  in  tiiis  office?"  I  inquired. 
He  was  lat^ibg  at  he  got     hsm  his  svnvd 


THE  HiOCJSB  OF  BUSIGIIB  ^ 


chair.  And  at  tiie  same  moment  that  he  got  up  from 
hit  diair  I  got  up  from  nune.  It  brought  the  scene 
in  Big  Ben's  office  back  to  me,  in  a  sudden  sickening 
fltfi»  Only,  this  time,  it  didn't  seem  to  terrify  me. 
It  was  more  the  feeling  you  get  from  a  Coney  Island 
tteamer-deck  when  it  swings  around  into  open 
water,  and  begins  to  rise  and  fall,  and  make  you 
wish  you'd  been  a  little  nx>re  careful  about  what 
you'd  eaten. 

**Why're  you  getting  so  up-stage  about  all  this?" 
hi\  jocularly  inquired,  as  he  came  closer  to  me. 

"Can  you  give  me  work?"  I  demanded,  as  I 
rounded  the  desk,  for  the  Big  War  I'd  been  through 
had  tau^t  me  it  was  always  best  to  have  a  buffer 
state  between  belligerents. 

"Do  you  want  it  bad  ?"  he  asked,  still  smiling. 

"I've  got  to  have  it,"  I  confer;s"l. 

"You've  got  to,"  he  repeated. 

"I've  got  to,"  I  told  him. 

"Then,  honey-child,  we're  sure  going  lo  come  to 
tenns,"  he  said,  as  he  rocked  on  his  heels  and  once 
more  eyed  me  up  and  down.  I  knew,  then,  that  the 
eafi  was  going  in  for  a  quick  curtain.  Yet  even  as 
I  knew  it  I  kept  dumbly  asking  why  lightning  should 
strike  twice  m  tiie  same  place.  It  didn't  seem  fair; 
il  m^t  99m  mm  ftMonhk.  But  it's  the  ficat 


20      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Hare  tint  does  the  diasoMl-ftet  You  can't  kx^  for 
«  big  fire  on  the  encore  pby.  Thst't     wm]r»  I 
pOM^  old  Motiier  Natoie  isves  ns  from  madness. 

That  man  seemed  anddenty  a  thousand  miles 
away  from  me  as  I  looked  at  him.  The  cigar  smoke 
made  me  a  Uttle  dixay.  i  thiidc  I  must  have  gone 
father  white,  all  of  a  sudden. 

''What's  the  matter  with  you,  anyway^  he  asked 
in  gennine  alarm. 

'•Whafs  the  matter  witfi  me?"  I  heard  myself 
repeathig»  and  my  own  -voke  sounded  like  a  long* 
distance  wire  on  a  wet  ni|^  «TU  tell  you  what's 
tibe  matter  with  me.  It  seems  like  a  ftmny  aihnent, 
hot  d'yott  know,  Tm  terr^ty  tired  of  dogsf 

''Tired  of  dogs?"  he  echoed,  faring  at  me  with 
his  pop-eyes  wider  open  tiian  ever.  He  had  dis- 
covered, apparently,  ^lat  he  was  face  to  face  with 
a  cra^  woman,  and  not  even  a  pdiconan  in  sight 

Tes,"  I  cahnly  explained  to  hhn.  '1  came  up 
into  this  office  bcking  for  a  man.  Aahonragol 
was  in  another  office  looicii^  for  a  nam." 

"Amanr  heet&oed. 

'Hfes.  And  both  thnes,  instead  of  Ming  one,  I 
foond  a  yeOowhotrndf 

That  was  nqr  exit  speech,  and  having  delivered 
It,  I  took  my  dcpartare^  I  wasn't  ooM^thae; 


THE  HOUSB  OF  INTRIGUE  21 


I  was  merely  nauseated.  I  wanted  to  get  out  into 
the  open  air.  And  I  was  glad  to  see  that  the  elevator 
cage  stood  there  waiting  for  me.  And  I  was  also 
glad  that  there  was  no  one  in  it  accept  a  weasel- 
faced  little  runt  of  an  old  man  in  rusty  black,  fo- 
cool  as  I  had  kept  myself  in  that  smoky  office,  I 
found  a  foolish  gush  of  tears  streaking  the  talcum 
off  my  cheeks  as  I  made  my  way  out  to  the  street. 
And  I  never  did  care  to  do  my  crying  before  strang- 
ers. 

I  walked  up  Broadway  once  more,  with  no  sense 
of  time  or  place  or  direction.  I  only  knew  that  I 
was  glad  to  mix  with  the  sidewalk  crowds,  the  same 
as  a  slum  boy  with  prickly-heat  must  be  glad  to  take 
a  header  off  an  East  Side  wharf-end.  I  had  been 
hurt,  and  hurt  without  understanding  why.  It  be- 
wildered me.  I  wanted  to  be  alone,  to  think  things 
out.  And  like  any  other  animal  on  two  legs  or  four, 
when  it  gets  hurt,  I  found  myself  swayed  by  an  in- 
stinct to  make  for  the  lall  timber,  to  go  in  hiding. 
Without  being  quite  conscious  of  it  I  directed  my 
tteps  toward  Central  Park.  There  I  wandered  on 
mtil  I  found  a  leafy  solitude  and  a  bench  which  a 
fray  squirrel  vacated  as  I  took  possession.  And  I 
sat  back  on  that  bench,  deep  in  tiiQii|^  and  let  mgr 
battered  i^irk  lidk  tto  wotuidi* 


CHAPTER  TWO 


WHEN  a  womiB  homecteins  her  bourt  die 
tmially  foet  deer  to  the  attic.  As  I  tat  on 
that  green-slatted  paik  beadi,  aooordiii|^,  I  did  a 
heap  of  overfaatilkig  in  Hnt  nauty  eomera  ol  mem- 
ory. Something  wai  wroog^  and  I  wanted  to  ftid 
out  where.  So  I  took  np  my  whde  pait  file^  and 
sat  there  turmng  it  roond  and  rooad,  W»  a  park 
scpiirrel  with  a  peam^  Then  I  took  it  op  h&  a  more 
coQ^Hrehensive  way,  at  thoa|^  it  were  a  snvio-fikn, 
and  kt  it  tmreel,  year  fay  tangled  yetf.  My  oidy 
trouble  was  in  finding  a  beginning,  for  timigtm  this 
world  don't  seem  to  have  beginningi,  bet  Jntt  iow 
into  one  another  and  ty  ft  and  change  and  patt 
while  life  goes  stnnditing  on  and  Ihoee  midgr*.- 
calkd  men  and  women  criitatost  one  aa0(^r/s  tn  h 
and  wonder  why  they're  to  mndi  taos«  mdia. 
than  they  intended  lo  be. 

Bttt  on  M  park  bench,  at  at  every  odier  time  I 
got  tanking  abon:  ^  pat^  I  i  imd  ngrt^  maiUng 
the  fir^  nu1e-stoaa  by  b^Eianing  wkh  M  Gr»wold» 

22 


THE  HOUSE  OF  omUGUE  2B 


poor  old  ''Cmnatiaa  Btid"  who  always  wore  a  pink 
in  litt  bntton-liole,  on  ptfade,  and  prided  himself 
on  being  aa  mat  a  dreiKrai  Robert  Htlliard  him- 

adf. 

I  can  aee  now  that  they  were  all  cheap  and  Uwdry 
and  padietic,  tiioae  fooUsb  old  creeds  and  vanities 
of  Bud's.  Bttt  there  was  a  time  when  they  stood 
for  nothing  but  splendor  to  me,  just  as  there's  an 
earlier  time  when  a  crimson  Noah's  Ark  can  mean 
glindenr  and  a  rtring  of  coral  can  spell  wealth.  For 
Bod,  tiiat  afternoon  on  Sixth  Avenue  when  he 
stepped  mto  my  life,  stood  for  everything  that  was 
prinoefy  and  resplendent.   Myrtle  Menchen,  who'd 
been  eacploring  that  third-rate  department  store  with 
me,  ao  weakened  before  a  kolinsky  piUow-muff  that 
^  cafanly  walked  away  from  the  fur-counter  with 
the  muff  in  her  hand.   But  Myrtie,  I  found  out 
fater^bad  <yverk)oked  the  minor  detail  of  paying  for 
it  When  she  got  to  the  swing-doors  and  saw  the 
•toie  *%nian"  on  her  trail,  she  said  "Hold  this, 
Baddie»  tiB  I  button  me  coat!"  In  other  words,  she 
^tr%a/Wl  on  me  and  discreetly  melted  away.  And 
there  I  atood,  with  that  stolen  mufi  in  my  hand  and 
^  store  flyman  with  hia  hand  on  my  shoulder, 
!iAen  Camatioo  Bud  eaae  pHsNng  throai^  the 
■  crowd* 


24      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

•nfoii  ant  pinch  tint  girl."  he  Mid  with  att  the 
aalhoritj  of  m  prednek  captain. 

Tyt  gol  her  with  Obt  foods  on— and  you  can  do 
your  talking  wiUi  the  oop  that's  coming  across  the 
stftetr  announced  that  sheep-nosed  sleuth. 

Bud  taOced  with  the  cop  that  came  across  the 
street  He  talked  k>w  and  long,  and  called  over 
the  fiymaa  himsdl,  and  continued  that  talk  inside 
the  store.  Then  he  pnUed  out  a  roll  of  bills  the  size 
of  a  ht^B  arm,  paid  for  the  nmff,  and  handed  it 
over  to  me  with  a  bow  that  made  me  think  of  John 
Barrymoie  m  ^  axmes.  Then  he  kd  me  out  and 
signaled  for  a  taxi. 

•*l  s'pose  70U  want  to  go  homer  he  said»  as  we 
swuiq;  off  down  iibt  crowded  avenue. 

*T  didn't  steal  that  nmff/'  was  all  the  answer  I 
gave  to  that  question  of  his. 

"Of  course  you  didn't,"  he  said,  as  solemn  as  a 
judge.  But  I  knew  he  dkhi't  believe  me. 

"Myrtle  Menchen  stole  tiiat  muff,"  I  ^.rsisted, 
"and  hanckd  k  on  to  me  to  save  her  own  neck." 

"Don't  you  want  to  get  back  to  your  folks?"  Bud 

gently  inquired. 
I  told  him  I  had  no  folks. 
"Wen,  back  to  your  home?" 
"My  home's  been  m  a  Greenwkh  ViBage  room-' 


THE  HOUSE  OP  iNTRIGUE  25 


iog  Imne  witfi  Myrtk.  But  from  this  day  out  I 
five  with  no  giri  law  that"  And  I  insMted  on  r»* 
conntinf  the  ontkt  affair  of  the  muff  once  more. 
'*Then  what  are  you  going  to  do?"  asked  that 
prince  who  smelt  of  Florida  water— but  in 
tfwie      it  teemed  a  fit  and  finishing  atura  for  Mxh 

n  golden  hero. 
1  don't  know,**  wai  nqr  lirtless  respoMt.  Then 

Bad,  hi  his  lordly  and  masterful  way,  promptly 
took  f^««g«  in  his  own  hands.  He  needed  a  good 
sharp  gill  m  hit  wocfc,  which  was  that  of  a  lock- 
hnpector,  and  took  hhn  to  all  the  biggest  cities  in 
America.  And  I  hi  my  imwcence  didn't  understand 
what  Bod's  famfl^  stood  for.  So  I  agreed  to  swing 
hi  with  hhn,  and  he  promised  that  the  job  coukl 
end  at  any  mtmite  tfiat  he  didn't  treat  me  white. 

Bnd  treated  me  whhe— and  in  going  back  to  those 
oid  ds^  I  found  I  couldn't  keep  from  phrasing 
tiungs  in  the  language  of  that  lower  world.  When 
you  taflc  dboat  chy  wild4if e,  you've  got  to  use  city 
wild-life  words.  Bud  treated  me  white,  with  the 
one  txaepidoa  of  not  enflaimni^  from  the  first,  jurt 
what  he  had  meant  fay  mspector  of  lodes.  For  when 
Bnd  fflspecied  a  fedc  it  was  aM»%  done  in  the  9ie»> 

onee  of  a  dcdeloo4(^. 
I  was  only  a  %per,  hi  those  dam  and  thent  waft 


26      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  ^ 

no  woman  about  to  whom  I  could  go  for  advice,  li 
remember  the  day,  on  the  Monday  »fter  he'd  lenl 
me  ahead  of  him  to  Philadelphia,  when  I  mw  Wm- 
filing  a  key-blank  and  he  confesied  that  he  wat 
really  a  house-man.  I  wat  so  green  Aen  that  I 
didn't  even  know  what  the  word  meant  He  had  to 
go  on  and  explain  that  he  was  really  a  supper-worker, 
and  a  supper-worker,  I  duly  came  to  undentand, 
was  the  underworld  phrase  for  a  dresa-snit  burf^. 

It  took  my  breath  away— and  I  think  my  common 
sense  must  have  gone  with  it  But  the  itrange  city 
intimidated  me.  I  fdt  friendless  and  helpless  and 
alone,  in  that  great  town  of  unknown  streets  and 
unknown  faces.  And  when  Bud  left  me  to  think 
it  out  and  come  to  some  sort  of  decision,  I  was  fool- 
ish enough  to  feel  rdieved  when  I  heard  his  step  in 
the  hall.  And  that  decided  me.  I  became  a 
chicken-stall  for  a  confidence  man  and  seooiul-story 
worker. 

The  thing  that  most  dduded  me,  I  thmk,  "-as 
Bud's  lopsided  decency.  For  outside  of  his  work 
he  was  the  cleanest-minded  man  I  had  ever  met  He 
had  been  true  blue  in  his  promise  about  being  white 
to  me,  and  I  didn't  want  to  add  to  ihat  coter-schemc 
by  showing  a  yellow  streak.  So  I  was  weak  enough 
to  let  him  surmise  that  I  was  going  to  stick.  I'm 


TBB  BOUSB  C9  ZNTRIGUE  V 

4, 

Mt  tore  now  whether  I  intended  to  or  not.  If  the 
^duuice  had  oone  I'm  alraid  I  migitt  Um  boktd. 
But  the  chmot  never  came.  There  was  one  condi- 
tton,  of  eonrse,  which  he  verjr  well  knew  I'd  alwajpt 
intitt  upon.  And  he  was  wise  enough  to  respect 
that.  He  kept  me  as  guarded  from  the  uglier  side 
of  life,  in  fact,  as  though  I'd  been  hia  own 
And  my  sliding  over  into  that  newer  world  came  so 
gradually,  like  a  vestibuled  limited  slidii^  <Mit  of 
the  yards  into  the  open,  that  I  was  under  way,  full 
tilt  before  I  futte  lealized  what  was  happening. 
Then  the  she  -  movement  of  the  thing,  the  activity 
of  it,  the  excitement  of  it,  got  into  my  blood,  and 
iSbt  need  of  Bud  hii.  self  got  fixed  in  my  mind. 

I  learned  to  look  at  life  as  he  did.  I  dropped  into 
the  trick  of  talking  as  he  did.  I  got  so  I  could 
Hct  a  tig^t  fade  without  a  quaver,  and  do  my  gay- 
cat  part  in  sloughing  our  make  as  easily  as  rolling 
off  a  log.  And  all  the  v^iile  it  seemed  a  sort  of 
fun^  which  could  of  course  be  dropped  when  the 
kigitt  disbanded  and  the  autumn  leaves  blew 
throu|^  tiw  bleachers.  It  never  dawned  on  me  then 
dttft  a  womm  mmt  be  only  what  she  has  been,  that 
evoy  yttat  ci  her  past  is  the  link  of  a  chain  which 
drags  forever  at  her  heels.  But,  as  I'va  akttdf 
imd»  I  ««aa      a  Jasptr  ta  tiiow  dagrs. 


28      THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


We  worked  tbe  Eastern  Coast  that  first  winter, 
all  tfie  big  cities  excepting  New  York.  The  bulla 
were  out  for  Bud  there,  and  he  vtmUfy  fought  clear 
of  the  Big  Burg — and  the  day  came  when  I  moet 
devoutly  thanked  God  for  that,  since  it  left  me 
with  a  clear  recMd  on  Manhattan  Island  and  al- 
lowed me  later  on  to  start  over  again,  when  the 
chance  came.  Bud  flossed  m*;  out  with  a  Bonwit- " 
Teller  hand-me-down  and  I  joined  him  at  Albany. 
Then  we  beat  it  to  Boston  and  wc^ced  the  Bean- 
Town  suburbs  harnessed  for  a  course  dinner.  Some- 
times I'd  Inrace  the  bell,  and  sometimes  Bud  would. 
When  no  one  answered  the  ring  Bud  would  slip  in 
throu^  a  side  window  and  make  his  clean-up.  I'd 
play  gay-cat  while  he  dug  fur  glriss  and  junk.  Some- 
tames  I'd  even  have  to  do  the  dumray-chucker  act 
w  ^ill  a  f amt,  to  give  hhn  a  cha«ioe  ior  hit  get- 
away. 

How  the  old  words  and  the  old  vray  of  lookii^ 
up  things  came  back,  as  I  went  over  those  days 
again !  It  seemed  the  only  way  to  describe  the  tridci 
of  the  old  trade.  For  instance,  mhtn  an  alarm  went 
up  and  Bud  seemed  to  be  in  for  a  rumble,  I'd  swoon. 
I'd  wait  until  the  crowd  got  big  enough  and  then  I'd 
flop  right  down,  happy-hems  and  all.  I  even  got 
the  tridc  of  makii^  myself  go  white,  y»bea  I  wanted 


TH£  HOUS£  OP  INTRIGUE  » 


to^  Thi^  wu  lAKf  mf  M        wmOf  timm 

ttBtn  I  an»  to.  and  Mart  ne  off  in  ft  taad  or  t  linott* 
doetDioiMblooineraddfeMiiitiieoatddfti.  Btid, 
in  the  metotiine,  would  bop  the  fenct  for  »  l«lo- 
away. 

Hetpedaliie  un  giaM  or  ka,  wliidi  tame  mMaa 
timpty  (tiamoods,  and  he  had  a  pet  theory  that  the 
only  Idad  of  thieving  that  ooold  ever  pay  in  at  long 
run  was  diamond  aterihig.  A  diamond,  he  laid,  waa 
ahvaya  aa  food  at  money.  It  never  depredated.  It 
coohl  aiwayi  be  pried  ont  of  itt  aetthig  and  be  split 
or  re<iit  and  ooold  never  be  traoed.  And  it  served 
women  right,  he  daimcd,  to  loaetiieiri^  for  the 
parading  of  aodi  stones  was  not  oi^  »  vanity  but 
an  incitement  to  tile  por  r.  Bud  even  adcnowledged 
that  when  he'd  got  me  pioperly  trahied  in  the  busi- 
ness tfie  two  of  us  could  start  out  as  the  biggest 
1^  fifters  in  tiie  world.  He  had  mapped  out 
some  visionary  pfam  of  can^a^  to  take  us  right 
throof^  Europe.  Weweietoffoonfyafter^best 
stones  hi  tiie  hmd.  By  that  thne  we'd  have  a  deep 
hed,  whi^  means  plenty  of  ready  cash,  so  that  we 
could  feed  our  itnoeunta  the  blorw«ver  and  unload 
fa  tiie  Amsterdam  matheta  lite  a  rrgnlar  dealer. 

One  pofait  tint  Bud  was  e8pe^%  carsftd  aboot 


30       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


was  always  to  keep  me  within  the  Utw.  He  never 
so  mudb  as  asked  me  to  steal  a  postage-stamp.  He 
said  he  didn't  want  a  blot  against  me,  and  he  said 
it  was  for  business  purposes.  Whether  or  not  that 
was  the  truth  I  could  never  quite  telL  For  Bud 
guarded  me  in  ways  that  weren't  always  necessary. 
He  kept  me  away  from  what  he  called  the  ''skirts" 
and  "ribs"  of  his  profession.  He  seemed  to  have 
known  a  ^ood  nmny  of  these  w(»nen,  in  his  time. 
Sometimes  I  used  to  wonder  what  his  relations  with 
them  had  been.  And  sometimes,  too,  I  used  to  be 
jealous  of  them.  At  first  it  was  of  Third-Arm 
Annie,  who  had  beryl-green  eyes  and  a  thatdi  of  red 
bangs  that  made  her  lode  out  of  place  off  Fourteenth 
Street  But  Bud  told  me  that  she  was  one  of  the 
devemt  "dips"  and  pidq>ockets  in  America,  and 
explained  how  she'd  got  Iwr  name  working  as  a 
dtop-lifta*,  witih  a  dummy  tiiird  arm  vHiich  dbe 
rested  on  a  counter  or  show-case  while  her  own  un- 
noticed right  hand  was  bu^  raking  ^bt  diattds 
into  her  ^it-ddrt  pocket. 

But  falter  on  it  was  am^her  wonwa  who  most 
disturbed  me,  for  I  cookin't  h^  leelkig  tiiat  this 
vroman  had  her  ropes  fai^  for  the  foandtng  vp  of 
my  Bud.  Her  rame  was  Cookscm,  b^  to  her  own 
ctrde  die  was  always  kaowa  as  Copptriiead  Kata 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  31 

She  was  well  named,  all  right.  For  she  wore  her 
hair  low  n  er  her  ear?,  and  this  hair  was  of  thidc 
copper,  s  ruding  out  in  each  side  of  her  head  in 
two  rouni^ui  L^bes,  Her  nose  was  rather  short  and 
blunt,  and  these  two  lobes  seemed  to  add  to  the  re- 
ceding line  of  her  flattened  profile.  So  when  you 
saw  her  at  certain  angl'^  she  kind  of  brought  your 
heart  up  into  your  mouth,  for  her  head  was  as  modi 
like  the  head  of  a  copperhead  snake  as  any  humaft 
cranium  could  be.  This  snaky  feeling  was  carried 
out  still  further  in  her  movements  themsehres,  for 
they  were  languid  and  texy  and  graceful,  as  a  nil& 
There  was  a  scaly  sort  of  shimmer  aboot  her,  too^ 
a  smoothneM  and  quietneM  wWdi  seemed  to  maik 
her  down  as  bdonging  more  to  Ac  shadows  tiiaii 
the  opra  street. 

When  her  trail  wouM  cross  with  Butftrd  haire 
to  edge  away  and  f aae  into  tiie  badcground,  for  It 
was  Bud's  play,  of  course,  always  to  deiy  Aat  I  wa» 
chicken-stalling  for  him.  He  wouldn't  even  recofp- 
nize  me  in  publk,  thouf^  we  had  a  sigo-kagoage 
that  wouM  tove  made  any  SiciHan  bladc-liander 
green-eyed  with  envy.  I'd  have  to  sit  birfc  and  •« 
Copperhead  Kate  dragging  out  her  heart-to-heaft 
tafic  with  Bud,  and  even  llicn  I  was  n  aotta 
wordless  way  aMd  of  her.  I  hstid  thai  loadi  «l 


32       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


stealth  about  her  movements,  that  air  of  lazy  sdf- 
concemment,  that  pose  of  gliding  indifference  to  all 
the  world  about  her.  Bud  told  me  that  she  was  an 
uncommonly  clever  woman,  as  much  cleverer  than 
Third-Arm  Annie,  for  instance,  as  Annie  her- 
self was  cleverer  than  the  every-day  shop-lifter. 
But  he  stubbornly  denied  that  he  had  ever  worked 
with  her,  and  claimed  that  for  several  years  she'd 
been  the  gun-moll  of  a  peterman  called  Whispering 
Wat,  who'd  a  bullet-wound  in  his  throat  that  rather 
interfered  with  his  talking. 

Bud  nursed  an  open  contempt  for  yeggs  and 
petermen  and  lush-dips  and  that  brand  of  crooks, 
and  it  was  only  when  funds  ran  low  that  he  turmd 
back  to  actual  porch-climbing.  He  always  consid- 
ered that  line  of  work  as  a  mere  apprenticeship. 
He  had  his  ambitions,  had  Bud,  and  sometinies  he 
used  to  talk  of  how  he'd  handle  the  higher  lines  of 
work,  once  he  was  ready  for  the  job.  But  he  was 
never  quite  sure  what  this  was  to  be.  At  one  time 
he'd  ramble  on  about  switching  back  into  the  wire- 
tapping game,  explaining  that  it  was  a  game  that 
never  grew  old  and  always  had  a  rich  sucker-list 
waiting  for  easy  money.  Then  at  other  times  he'd 
talk  about  the  high-life  sloughing,  and  say  he  want- 
ed the  two  of  us  to  get  so  we  could  saunter  into 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  33 


Tiffany's  or  Ae  Newport  Casino  or  BaakfB  BeaA 
aiui  spot  the  best  stcmes  in  America  without  letthif 
tibe  Four  Hundred  know  we  weren't  oat  of  tiiem. 
After  talks  like  this  Bud  would  plant  me  in  tiie  high- 
est-priced hotels,  to  study  the  women  there  at  dose 
range,  and  catch  the  trick  of  taBcmg  as  they  did, 
and  wearing  my  clothes  as  they  seenwd  to  wtax 
theirs. 

I  was  quick  enough  at  domg  this,  thouf^  tt  always 
disturbed  me  in  a  way  I  can't  quite  explain.  Bitt  I 
knew,  all  the  time,  that  my  splendor  was  otafy  a 
flash  m  the  pan.  I  knew  I  was  only  dieap  plate,  an 
impostor.  And  all  the  ^diik,  deep  down  in  ray  serf, 
I  had  that  never^ingadie  to  be  the  reaS^ii^. 

There  were  times,  too,  when  Bud  himself  seemed 
to  fail  in  what  he  pretended  to  be.  He  used  to 
seon  ahnost  pathetk  to  me,  on  my  off  days,  fnr  I 
feh  then  that  his  ckithes  were  fb^Akr  thm  tbey 
ought  to  be,  that  his  Lcml-Chesterfidd  naaaiKra 
weren't  the  manners  of  the  o&er  men  in  those  softly 
carpeted  hotds,  that  even  his  tffectafioB  of  % 
Harvard  accent  was  actory  and  tftfficU.  Tldt 
never  really  came  home  to  me  untfl  I  met  aaote 
man.  And  that  man  was  my  Hero-Man. 

Somewhere  in  her  fife,  I  Hmk,  every 
must  have  a  Hcf<»»Man,  wfaeliMrte^t^afw 


34       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


ister  or  tiie  Idngfy  Ihwr-walker  in  a  close-fitting 
Prince-Aflbert  or  a  movie  actor  with  his  ejres  beaded 
or  some  melancholy-eyed  neighbor  ^ffbo  is  supposed 
to  be  misunderstood  by  his  wife.  But  he  must  not 
be  too  near,  ot  too  accessible,  otlmrwise  his  halo  is 
likely  to  wither  and  his  |^ry  to  fade  into  the  li|^ 
of  common  day. 

It  had  been  that  way,  I'm  afraid,  with  Bud,  al- 
though I  had  never  been  able  to  admit  it  For  Bud 
no  longer  seemed  the  resplendent  being,  smelling 
of  Florida  water,  that  he  was  that  morning  on  Sixth 
Avenue  when  Myrtle  Menchen  stole  the  kolinsky 
muff.  And  my  new  Hero-Man  was  quite  different 
from  the  old  caw,  thouj^  there  was  a  cmndcknoe 
or  two  in  the  way  they  both  appeared  over  the 
horison. 

Bud  was  hanging  ont  at  the  Hotel  Breslau,  down 
at  Long  Beadi,  and  was  puttmg  tfaroQ|h  a  coup  for 
miOdng  the  bathing-beadi  k)ckers  during  the  swim^ 
nung-hour.  The  Bredau  double  k)dcer  room  is 
rii^t  under  the  hotel  and  reached  from  the  shore 
fay  passing  under  the  board-walk  and  in  through  a 
tunnel  On  one  «de  is  the  men's  lodetr  room,  and 
on  the  other  »  the  women's,  with  a  ^  in  dnrge 
of  one  and  a  flapper  is  diarge  of  tiie  other.  The 
lockers,  of  coune,  were  for  ^  ttse  of  the  hold 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  35 


guetts,  who  tmdreswd  tiwre  before  pildiif  out  for 
the  beach  hi  thehr  fasthhif-eiiits. 

Bod  decided  there  was  good  booty  m  those  lock- 
en  every  afternoon,  so  he  phumed  to  have  me  call 
the  locker-girl  away  for  as  tong  as  I  eonld  hold  her. 
Then  he'd  work  his  bone-keys  and  make  his 
deann^  It  wasn't  work  he  liked,  but  a  ttim  of 
hard  bdc  had  left  the  coin-coffo:  at  kyw  ebb»  and 
he  had  to  take  the  first  decent  chance  that  came 
along. 

A  ^tonp  actor's  wife  came  puddling  in,  in  a  wet 
faadung-suit,  and  cau^^  Bod  in  her  lodter.  Bud 
apok>gized  and  explained  that  his  wife  had  sent  him 
in  from  the  beadi  for  her  rings,  and  he  was  awfully 
sorry  he'd  bhmdered  into  the  wrong  ctd)by-hole. 
Then  he  had  the  nerve  to  open  tq>  the  second  next 
k)dcer,  still  under  tfiat  plump  dow&^s  eye,  unpin 
an  emerald  pendant  that  was  fastened  to  a  waist 
hanging  tiiere,  rdock  the  door,  and  start  smilmgfy 
back  for  thebeadi. 

I  dkfai't  dream  anything  was  wrong,  at  the  time^ 
until  the  plump  person  begi»  to  scream  at  the  top 
of  her  hmgs  that  she'd  been  robbed.  Even  ibm  I 
di^'t  worry.  I  flierdy  sauntered  on  0uw^  iStm 
timnel  to  Ae  beach,  ^k^mc  I  ^potted  Bod  loshii^hiiii* 
self  hi  the  crowd.  But  the  busty  ti^  hi  ^  wtk 


36       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


bathing-suit  had  also  spotted  him.  I  saw  her  com- 
ing, like  a  ball  down  the  bowlin{^4%.  I  managed 
to  brush  by  Bud  just  in  tinw  to  have  him  pass  me  his 
loot,  wrapped  vap  tight  in  a  pocket  handkerchief. 
Then  I  ambled  on,  with  the  package  stowed  iandt 
my  slaay  Uouse-neck  as  I  languidly  puidied  in  my 
hairpins.  No  one,  apparently,  was  ai^  the  wiser. 
But  that  was  where  I  miss«i  my  cme  good  guess. 

I  sank  down  beside  a  cool-qred  young  man  hi 
gray  ilanneb.  He  was  smiling  at  the  scene  with  a 
<fetached  sort  of  contentment  He  even  aniled  at 
me.  Bud,  by  this  time,  had  his  hat  m  his  hand  and 
his  Lord  Chesterieki  heeb  together.  He  was  bow- 
ing and  explaining  and  urbanely  requertiag  Uiat  he 
be  seardied,  if  need  be,  to  put  the  poor  woman's 
mmd  at  rest  But  I  didn't  like  the  kioks  of  thmgs. 

"What  are  ^tuty  dcm^  to  that  man?"  I 
inquired  of  the  cool-^ed  youth  beside  me.  He 
wasn't  so  young,  I  noticed,  as  I  first  ^ou^^  htm. 

"I  rather  fancy  they're  going  to  have  Uie  hoose- 
detectivfi  seardi  him,"  was  my  ooa^anion's  quiet 
ref^.  He  saucely  fedced  at  me. 

"Isn't  that  ridicdous?"  I  veotm«&  The  wlwle 
t^ng;  you  see,  somewhat  bored  me. 

If  s  more  Am  ridtetdoos— if  a  tndeH*"  said  tht 
flMA  at  nqr  side. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  37 


I  looked  at  him  out  of  Ihe  comer  of  a  veiy 
guarded  eye. 

''Why?"  I  lazily  inquired.  But  the  search,  I 
noticed,  was  already  under  way,  and  a  triumphant 
if  subtly  indignant  Bud  GriawoM  was  enduring  it 
wiUxMit  any  loss  of  standing. 

"Bfcamse  Ms  eonfederate  now  has  his  html  safely 
tucked  amy  wider  her  sfwrt-mst,"  answered  the 
nan  with  the  creme-de-menthe  smik. 

I  sat  there  bliiddng  at  the  hlue  Atlantic  while  a 
yttk  nmway  of  diiUs  went  arrowing  19  and  down 
my  spine.  For  this  quiet-eyed  stranger  knew  that 
I  had  that  stolen  jewehy  on  me,  and  he-  had  just 
tdeenthetfouUetoletmeknowthatheknew.  In 
one  pai^dcy  moment  I  saw  nqrself  bhie-birded  up 
to  headquarters,  mugged  and  measured,  and  my 
bri^  yomig  life  turning  turtle  into  the  Toinbs. 

But  I  ^'t  iirtend  to  |^  up  the  ship^  without 
a  last  ga^  or  two. 

*a>o  yott  tfiink  she  ean  escaper  I  ^piietiy 

inquired. 
£te  ^oi^^  ^iki  over. 

rrhat  ail  d^ends  on  how  intdligcnt  sh«  is,"  was 

"I  hope  ^  does,"  I  sHM-  "For  I  fliink  we  all 
Hke  to  see  a  woman  get  a  fiiM^  chaoeer 


38      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Hit  mite  brotdened.  Then  he  grew  quite  leri- 
ous  again. 

"When  the  eimagement  hat  every  aq>ect  of  fair- 
nett,"  he  ventured.  And  that  made  me  rather  nt 
up  again.  He  wat  intimating,  of  course,  that  tneak- 
thieving  wam't  eicactly  the  nobtett  of  pattimet. 

"I  wonder  what  the  really  ou|^t  to  do?"  I  imptr' 
tonally  inquired. 

For  the  second  time  he  found  it  necettaiy  to  give 
my  question  considerable  thought. 

"I  should  think  the  easiest  solution  of  the  ntaar 
tion  would  be  for  her  to  drop  the  little  parcel  intact 
into  the  hotel  mail-box,"  he  told  me.  "In  that  way 
the  unfortunate  lady  will  be  relieved  of  all  poia&te 
embarrastOKnt  and  the  owners  of  the  mitunj^— er— • 
ornaments  will  undoubtedly  cotac  into  pottettiwi 
of  them  again  r 

I  was  still  staring  out  at  the  blue  Atlantic. 

"I  believe  that  it  exactly  what  the  lady  intendt 
to  do,"  I  quietly  announced. 

"When?"  he  inquired. 

I  did  not  answer  him  at  once,  for  Bud,  who  wat 
hovering  ab(mt  the  badcgr  Amd,  was  telling  me  by 
sign-talk  to  stick  to  ttrangor  and  follow  on  to 
the  city  when  the  way  wat  ckar. 

"Whear"  demanded  my  new  friend. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  39 

•TU^  »wiy/' I  ickiiowledteA  For  I  bid  thw^ 
bode  to  Bud  the  bi|MS"  ^  I  w«t  wiw  to  his 

tip. 

The  man  at  my  tide  tttrned  and  attidied  me, 
parently  for  the  first  time. 

*Tm  sorry,  you  know  "  he  began.  **Bttt  I  rather 

think  it  wouki  make  it  lafer  il  you'd  dine  with  me 

here  to^ug^" 
**I  haven't  been  oppresied  by  any  lenie  of  in^end- 

hg  danger"  I  tokl  him»  with  a  forced  hui|^ 

*Then  perhapa  it  esa^  your  attentkm  diat  the 
k>dcer-girl  has  just  pdnted  you  ottf  to  the  hold 
detective?** 

**That  is  interestmg,"  I  swd,  but  I  wasn't  one  half 
as  comfortable  as  I  pretended  to  be. 
It  is  so  inteiesting  that  I  think  k  wiU  beadvisaUe 

for  us  to  return  to  the  hotel  by  way  of  the  board- 
walk," he  exphuned,  as  he  rote  to  his  feet  "And 
in  case  theie  »  any  necessity  for  uang  it,  remember, 

my  mane  is  Wemty  Washburn.** 

He  said  it  as  thou^  he  mnrsed  ant  comfortabk 
belief  that  there  was  considerable  weight  in  that 
rather  silly-sounding  name. 

"Aik!  mine  is  Bad«fie  P*etk)w,**  I  told  hhn,  as  I 
rose  to  my  feet 

•Caddie,**  he  icpealed,  with  a  i^it  of  humor. 


40       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


''That*  •  liiort  for  Btitari,  70a  know,"  I 
explaiiied,  m  we  bcfu  to  mom  forward. 

'There  positively  ought  to  be  a  aociety  for  the 
prenatal  rapfmtiioii  of  in^oitiUe  names,"  he 
declared,  as  we  mounted  to  the  board-walk. 
Imagine  an  aUe-bodied  man  beii^  sent  out  into  the 
worid  with  such  a  mune  as  'Wewfy.'  And  a  oioe- 
looking  giri  btxag  ooospdled  to  answer  to  the  sou- 
briquet of 'Baddier" 

you  think,"  I UM  hhn. 

He  stopped  and  stared  at  me,  long  and  eames^. 
Under  tiiat  steady  lode,  in  fact,  I  oouhi  fed  my  odor 
deepen. 

"On  tte  omtrary,"  he  saM  with  qtuet  decision, 
"^f  Junk  you  are  entir^  wrong  hi  tfiat  faitimation.** 

"Thank  youT  was  my  stammered  and  altogether 
stupid  rqpfy  to  his  absurd  dedaratkm  of  faidi.  By 
tiiis  thne  we  were  back  at  tfie  hold  and  I  was  direct^ 
ing  my  course  so  as  to  lead  us  to  tiie  fobster-^otored 
mail-box.  I  turned  away  fran  him  and  stooped  in 
from  of  it 

yen  pardcm  me  a  momei^"  I  murmured, 
"for  I've  a  letter  Yd  like  to  mail  here  P 

He  d^  not  Uxlkt  hot  I'm  rarelw  heard  tiie  ddrii 
of  metal  as  die  little  parcel  fell  hito  the  lobster* 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  *1 

ookmdbox.  And  I  took  a  deep  br«»th  w  I  tuniwl 
araand  to  wliere  iw  wu  miting  for  me. 

It  mty  ttfn*  nther  an  absurd  hour  to  dine,  but 
tlie  Moner  we  dig  ounehres  in,  so  to  speak,  the 
•afer  we  may  be  for  any  possible  attack,"  my  Hero- 
Man  iuggeitcd.  And  I  hadn't  eaten  my  second 
oyster  before  I  realized  the  wisdom  of  that  strategy. 

It  was  not  the  house-detective,  however,  but  the 
hotd  manager  himsdl  who  came  to  confer  with 
Wen^Washbom.  That  conference  took  place  just 
beyond  my  hearing.  It  showed  Aat  my  Hcro-Man. 
whatever  he  may  have  been,  was  at  kast  a  good 
aetor.  He  neither  tost  his  dignity  nor  overKlid  the 
part  He  netAer  expostulated  nor  argued.  He 
mertiy  anttoimeed.  And  he  did  it  so  quietly  that 
thi^  hol^  manager  tucked  his  last  suspicion  into  its 
four-poster  of  official  politeness  and  apologized  for 
what  most  have  been  a  mistake  of  his  employees. 

•*Thafs  over,  I  hnagine,"  my  Hero-Man 
amioonced,  as  he  rejoined  me,  <|uite  unruffled.  And 
■i  he  sat  KRMS  the  table  from  me  and  went  on  with 
his  foier,  as  cahnly  as  though  we  had  dined 
together  a  tftonstrnd  times,  I  did  my  best  to  study 
his  face.  I  wanted  to  ooderstand  him. 

But  that  iMe  didi^  seem  an  easy  one  to  under- 
Mii.  AtfirstltslaidtaieasbdngcokL  Thentt 


42       THE  HCUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


itnick  me  as  the  face  of  om  of  tiiMe  oldiili-looldiif 
ycnog  Arae^tM  who  iMKin  to  worry  over  tfitey 
too  eai^  in  life  and  get  a  q^riiAHiif  of  gray  over 
the  ears  while  their  eyea  are  itill  yomg .  For  hit 
eyes  were  ttill  young,  young  and  eager,  tfaoui^  the 
reit  of  hit  face  looked  tired  and  hit  mule  waa  a 
half<ynical  one.  There  wat  jntt  a  toudi  of  dia> 
dain  ahottt  hit  eydirowt,  too,  dioa|h  yott  forgot 
that  in  tiie  humor  of  hit  tmile.   He  made  that 
humor,  I  thidc,  a  kind  of  armor,  aa  though  he 
wanted  to  bngfa  at  himadlf  before  you  got  a  ehaaoe 
to  hui|^  at  him.  And  he  had  a  fnn^  Uttle  trick  of 
holding  bade  what  he  wat  about  to  tay,  for  a  tecood 
or  two^  at  though  he  might  be  giving  Ut  bratn  time 
to  work  before  he  let  hit  mental  poi^  tn^  out  into 
the  ring  of  talk.  Hit  fipe  wouk!  packer  19  a  littk^ 
at  he  dkl  thit,  in  a  way  tlMk  made  yon  tiiink  of  a  kkL 
But  that  lean  jaw  and  that  ttrdght  moo^  with  juat 
the  tiniett  twitt  at  tiie  end  toon  toid  yon  he  oould 
be  ttrong  enough,  when  the  ttraincMne.  He  had  a 
way  of  VotAdag  at  you  crftically,  yet  quizaical^, 
thoui^  he  made  me  feel  th^  he'd  be  honett  before 
he'd  be  kind-htwted.  He  gave  me  Ae  mt^rettum, 
eve^'  Jien,  ^at  he  wat  exptctiiMf  a  great  deid  from 
hk  pottibie  frienda,  tiiat  it  odglit  hurt  hhn  a  kit  if 
you  d^'t  live  19  to  hit  eapeclatloHt,  mid  th^  fai 


» 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  4J 


your  tkit  thM  •gainit  yon, 

-I  diMppobil  yott,  I  mC^ 
looking  up,  M  I  complrtrf  iiiii  I 
Mcret  Mimy  of  him. 

"No,"  I  told  him.  'TN*  f«Mlt 

mot  hrif  io  OMtdi,  I  JW»  ^ 

poiriing  me,"  WW  Wi  fitort  -Aiidrf*^b«i 

thinldiig  that  yott  cta^A  to  f-d  DiuiiM'm 

mlly  heipyouftlotr' 

"Who'i  Browing?"  I  wb. 

better  bdiig  iBO#tai  hadb  Mid  ^  snw^ 

betns  taae  thts  mirf-*romi«c  vttmoeet,  Ftt 

allow,  bat  then  out  mi^  cWm  tf»«t  bfoo^  ut 

bcomidet  iimffy  h«Mi«  *V  MMotial 
tri^  M  tie  to  undbpoled  «vci7ho^  his  to  Imp 

•m  fet  hit  woifcir  I  t^tandy  promiMd. 
-FliMfdotft,**i«ffa«d»3rH^M«a.  "OrHI 
find  yott  07  epany  form  Bat  you  don't  frtmadi 

time  fen*  fCi^iii&  I  tdoe 

I  conf etied  dMt  I  didn't  I  even  told  Woi  ^  I 
bited  to  dwaifi^  M I  hiid  tt>  heip  on  aMW» 

tiiat  I  needed 


44      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

"Of  course,"  he  admitted,  as  though  he  under- 
stood it  all  from  the  first  And  wtUiout  quite  know- 
ing it  he  led  me  out,  step  by  step,  until  he  had  me 
Bertilloned  and  pigeonholed.  And  the  harder  I 
tried  to  explain  myself,  to  redeem  i^ndf,  the  wider, 
his  eyes  became. 

"You  pooHT  little  nmddle-headed  kid !"  he  said  in 
a  tone  that  gave  me  a  funny  feeling  in  the  throat, 
"they  haven't  handed  you  half  a  chance !" 

Then  he  tokl  me,  in  his  steely  yet  offhandkd  wi^, 
that  he  was  gomg  to  motor  me  back  to  town. 

It  was  still  easy  for  me  to  recall  the  smell  of  the 
sea,  the  sound  of  waves  plunging  tnkler  the  board- 
walk, the  lights  of  his  high-power  roadster  as  be 
circled  in  to  take  me  aboard  It  didnfft  seem  real 
It  was  like  a  dream.  I  thought  he  was  going  to 
preach,  on  tfie  way  in,  but  he  was  silent  during  most 
of  that  run.  I  even  thoui^t  ht  was  going  to  say 
something  about  our  meeting  again,  or  ask,  as  Bud's 
friends  would,  where  he'd  be  able  to  find  me  whea 
he  had  a  day  off.  But  he  said  no  such  thing.  What 
he  did  say  was  something  qinte  ^amit  from  what 
I  had  expected. 

"Under  the  circumstances,  you  know,"  he  quietly 
explained,  after  we  had  crossed  Iht  bridge,  "it  would 
be  obfvioiisly  absufd  for  ma  to  give  yov  ngr  hmm 


THE  IdOUSE  0^  INTRIGUE  45 


address.  But  if  you  find  yourself  confronted  by  a 
predicament  that— well,  that  seems  in  any  way  des- 
perate, you  might  send  me  a  line  at  the  Aldine  Club. 
I  mean  that  if  you  actually  i»ced  help,  and  I  can 
help  you,  I'll  do  it!" 

I  swallowed  my  disappointment.  I  was  so  hurt, 
in  fact,  without  knowing  just  where  or  how,  that  I 
sat  silent  until  he  dropped  me  at  the  Grand  Central, 
«•  I  had  asked  him  to  do.  The  tangle  of  traffic  there 
must  have  taken  all  his  attention,  for  he  merely 
nodded,  and  neither  kwked  back  nor  called  out  to  me, 
as  lie  roUed  away. 


CHAPTER  THREE 


I SAT  on  tiie  puk  bendi,  tfainld^  h  all  over.  X 
sat  there  in  tl»  poling  Uglrt,  with  die  dtstast  hnm 
of  tiw  dty  in  my  tm,  gdng  ov«rdioie  Miiier  day^ 
•oene  djt  tocoe  ana  event  oy  ev<nL 

A  !itt!«  dd  imui  in  rusty  blade  andiled  hf  but 
he  had  come  and  gone  before  my  abttracted  tyts 
took  note  of  htm.  The  gray  squirrd  vcnbned  back 
to  his  earlier  phygronnd,  circling  discreetly  about 
tiie  stranger  who  was  in  too  deep  a  trance  to  remem- 
ber that  it  was  about  time  for  the  bandit^  ottt  of  a 
peanut  or  twa  But  I  was  thinking  of  bigger  things 
tiian  park  squirrels  as  I  sat  there  inA  a  five-reeled ' 
tai^^  ^t  peopte  can  life  once  mme  unrolling 
before  my  eyes.  I  was  busy  recalling  how  that 
meeting  wiA  the  Hero-Man  changed  me,  and 
changed  even  Bud  Griswold.  For  Bud's  manner 
toward  me,  after  that  strange  evening  at  Long 
Beach,  vras  d»tinctiy  a  different  one.  He  was,  I 
oonld  see,  secret^  and  smoideringly  jetious  of  the 
mysterious  and  cool-eyed  Wendy  WasfaburiL  He 

46 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  ^ 


kaew  Aat  this  stranger  had  opened  my  eyes  to 
whidi  they  had  never  before  bothered  about 
I  didn't  ex0am.  I  <ro«W»'*  explain.  But  in  some 
vigue  way  I  felt  sorry  for  Bud.  He  became  more 
morose,  more  self-contained.  Yet  he  was  never 
opeely  imkifid,  or  actively  critical.  He  seemed  more 
diseontented  wiA  himself  than  with  me.  A  new 
fever  for  money  seemed  to  possess  him.  This 
prompted  hkn  to  turn  back  to  the  coarser  grades 
of  woilc,  to  take  chanc^  which  earlier  in  the  game 
he  never  seemed  to  cave  to  face. 

Yet  in  seme  ways  he  tried  to  stay  the  same.  He 
femained  the  same  toward  me,  although  his  temper, 
w^  o&er  pee^e,  was  i|»t  to  be  uncertain.  It  was 
at  Ormond  Beach,  I  remembered,  that  he  floored  a 
Yr^JniuMy  in  white  ducks  for  making  unseemly 
advanfTff  to  me  on  the  board-walk,  knocked  him  as 
flat  as  a  pan<ake,  «id  at  the  same  time  put  the 
WaaAk  on  our  hotel  coup  for  that  night,  because  a 
fedeial  gum^shoe  pushed  in  through  the  crowd  and 
gol  ^  i^rnd  OB  Bod.  He  seemed  to  remember  him. 
So  we  had  to  heat  a  retreat  for  the  orange-groves 
before  two  k)cal  coostafaks  oould  nnderstand  why 
ttnf  gumAoe  was  trying  to  commit  an  assault  on 
mdi  a  rcspsctaWr  tooVing  guest  as  Bud. 
hukitWmkSSm        CoifiAaad  ICate  kd 


48      THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


Bttd  to  oat  side  and  tried  to  coax  hiin  to  hitc^  vp 
with  a  mail-potidi  ^ef  called  Pawtudcet  Fatty,  lie 
diode  his  head  on  the  stroog-ann  work.  It  was  the 
same  when  Hot-Weather  Hany»  another  porch- 
dimber  who'd  side-stepped  into  yegg-work,  wanted 
Bttd  to  join  him  and  work  the  can-opener  on  the 
Midifie  West  post-offices.  Bud  came  out  Bat  ag»nst 
the  offer.  He  hter  exfdained  to  me  that  it  was  rube 
work  and  all  right  for  the  rous^-nedcs,  though  it 
wasn't  until  lata-  that  I  learned  that  both  Copper- 
head Kate  and  Hot-Weatfier  Harry  dauned  that  I 
was  the  reascm  for  Bttd  Griswdd  growing  dudcen' 
hearted  in  his  dkl  1^ 

If  tins  worried  Btid  he  never  opened  his  Inart 
abotit  it  to  tat.  He  mardy  c(mtended  that  ht*d 
rather  be  a  check-kiter,  or  a  stone-getter,  any  day, 
tiian  a  sot^wcMrker  «id  a  box-Uowo'.  For  Bud 
didn't  believe  in  force.  He  made  it  a  practise  not 
even  to  carry  a  gun.  This,  he  pointed  out,  had 
saved  him  from  a  faO,  donns  of  times.  He  said 
no  properly-trained  supper-wraicer  tad  an^  rif^  to 
tote  a  "gat,"  wh^  is  ^  «^erw<»y  w«rd  for  an 
automatic.  He  didn't  eves  work  with  a  jimmy, 
when  it  came  to  iofdng  »  side  door,  or  getting  a 
back  wh»fa)w  1^.  AU  ht  euried  was  a  MpcdaBf 
nade  cigar 4ightor — whidi  served  him  as  a  flash- 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE  4^ 


Uglrt  nd  a  cast-stee!  store^ifter  whidi  could  be 
tossed  into  any  bock  yard  oa  a  moment't  aodoe^ 
Yoa  oodldn't  ludd  a  man,  he  used  to  say,  on  an 
exhibit  ol  khciien  utensils,  though  he  Tiratked  a  go^ 
many  of  his  window  triija  with  a  stone  point  aad  a 
soctioci-a^  made  from  a  ^ove-back. 

Copperhead  Kate  dogged  abont  after  Bud  a  good 
deid  Hmt  summer,  and  on  a  pretense  tliat  a  run  of 
hard  hade  had  s&nmed  our  hed  we  worked  south 
from  Boston  to  l^eepy-Town  again,  skipping  New 
York  as  nsotl  and  strOdng  for  the  high-toned 
colonies  9kmg  the  Eastern  Coast  I  wasn't  sorry 
to  be  on  the  move,  for  I  was  more  than  ever  afraid 
of  Coppeihead  Kate.  And  I  oooU  see  that  Bud 
Imnself  was  resdess.  He  knew  that  something  had 
started  me  dmddng  ^ngs  oiver,  that  I  was  no  bnger 
as  pbodly  unconcerned  about  life  as  a  lamb  in  a 
meadow,  that  I  was  begtnwing  to  haire  an  uMag 
Aat  Uie  whole  arrangement  of  Stings  was  wrong. 
But  he  worked  steadify,  this  thne,  and  never  lost 
a  chance  to  turn  iSkt  not,  he  wookl  express  it 
And  when  rater  came  on  we  struck  iof  Ftori^ 
mid  floated  down  throui^  tfie  Eart  Coast  fssof^ 
little  Me  4fmB§  ahead  at  As  adime  tflBl  aad 
Bod  ioSowi^  on  as  die  mraigfaig  Smdb»»  W« 
never  put  op  at  die  SMst  held^  of  comm^  and  vt 


50       THE  HOUSE  Oh  INTRIGUE 


never  appeared  together  In  public  unlets  it  ooulda^ 
be  helped. 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  was  kmesome*  lows 
some  for  somethmg  which  I  coukhi't  name  tad 
couldn't  understand.  But  Bud  was  always  talkii^ 
of  the  future,  when  we  came  togedier»  and  of 
deep  heel  we'd  have  ^R^ien  we  croned  iS»  pond.  It 
was  at  Fort  Pierce  that  he  firrt  adnd  me  to  marry 
him,  tiiough  he  did  it  agam,  dm  days  li^,  at  Fftha 
Beach.  I  was  able  to  kuigfa  at  him,  and  aeciae  !nm 
of  gettmg  mealy.  That  seemed  to  hart  him.  It  at 
least  put  the  lid  down  on  the  marriage  talk  for  the 
rest  of  the  wfaMer.  But  Bud  was  good  to  me,  as 
good  as  any  man,  wfacAer  he  happened  to  be  a  di»- 
mond  thief  or  a  dnudiwarden,  cocdd  be  to  a  woman. 
He  still  es^ecfeed  me  to  do  my  spotter  work,  -of 
course,  and  do  it  wdt  Sometimes  it  wasn't  easy 
to  get  away  with,  but  ^id,  even  from  tfie  distance, 
watched  me  like  a  hawk  and  never  ventured  a  move 
ndiidi  he  thought  would  make  it  harder  for  me. 

I  don't  like  to  say  tint  Bod  went  sour  that  whiter, 
but  my  refusal  to  marry  him  left  him  so  unsettled 
that  he  did  tiie  best  slouf^iii^  of  the  season,  son»> 
tones  making  Aree  stations  hi  cnt  n^^  He  eves 
jimmied  his  way  falo  a  stQOoo  chi^CMi  full  of  Khig 
Charies  ^ai^  and,  take  niy  word  for  it,  no  01^ 


THE  HOUSE        INTRIGUE  SI 


naiy  porch-climber  is  ever  anxious  to  face  that  kind 
of  dog-opera.  Then  when  things  th»ped  themselves 
so  it  looked  like  a  round-up,  he  commandeered  a 
gasoline  launch  and  we  did  the  Indian  River  by 
moonlight,  with  Bud  drof^nng  in  on  a  nifty-looking 
house-boat  on  the  way  and  gathering  up  a  pocketful 
of  rings  before  a  trim  little  tender  full  of  fox-trot- 
ters bumped  up  against  one  end  of  that  boat  whik 
Bud  himself  slipped  down  over  the  other. 

Then  we  doubled  back  and  ambled  on  to  Havana, 
where  Bud  reported  the  city  to  be  a  gold-mine  for 
Vroric  like  his,  but  where  I  suffered  from  inter- 
mittent chills  and  fever  until  an  American  doctor 
advised  me  to  go  north.  So  Bud  gave  up  his  gold- ' 
mine  and  carried  me  back  to  home  country  by  way 
of  New  Orleans.  Then  we  headed  northward  by 
way  of  St  Louis  and  Chicago,  for  Bud  had  woriced 
out  a  new  coup  or  two,  to  piactise  in  the  nrii^ihmv 
hood  of  the  Great  Lakes. 

One  of  his  new  plans,  in  which  he  had  great 
^th,  he  intended  to  try  out  at  Detroit,  and  then 
repeat  at  Buffalo,  if  all  went  welL  His  idea  was  to 
plant  me  in  one  of  the  Pullmans  crossing  the  Line. 
Then,  watchu^  his  chance,  he  was  to  bosfd  the 
train,  pull  on  a  gold-braided  cap,  and  poie  at  aa 


S2      THE  KOUSM,  0^  INTRIGUE 

first,  close  to  tiie  end  of  the  car,  and  ask  if  I  w§M 
an  American  or  a  Canadian  citizen,  and  what  money 
I  carried.  My  part  of  the  play  was  to  hand  over 
^»  phony  roll,  for  which  he'd  give  me  a  duly-pre- 
pared official  receipt,  with  the  announcement  that 
the  money  would  be  returned  to  me  at  Windsor,  or 
at  Buffalo,  as  the  case  happened  to  be.  Then  he'd 
go  down  the  line,  gathering  in  all  he  could.  I  was 
to  be  both  a  stidc-t^  and  a  ccmie-on,  of  course,  for 
when  the  others  saw  me  pass  over  my  cash  in  hand 
they'd  conclude  a  genuine  immigration  officer  was 
on  the  job  and  a  new  inland  revenue  regiilatim  was 
being  put  in  force.  In  case  anjrthing  suspicious 
happened,  I  was  to  throw  Bud  the  high-sign.  But 
if  all  went  well  he  could  stow,  his  gold-lnaided  oi^ 
drop  off  the  Pullman,  and  repeat  the  coup  on  any 
train  that  happened  to  be  moving  in  the  oppoute 
direction. 

It  could  be  worked  only  once,  Bud  explained,  but 
it  ought  to  make  good  picking  while  it  lasted.  In 
explaining  this  Bud  told  me  how  he'd  made  almost 
as  good  moatf  at  the  same  points,  working  out  a 
coup  of  baggage-chedc  switching.  He'd  check  a 
trunk  full  of  cheap  clothes  from  tome  Canadian 
point,  go  through  to  the  baggage-car  at  the  border, 
and  have  the  trunk  examined  and  passed.  Then 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTSXGUB  53 


he'd  tarry  to  strap  it  up.  If  he  got  a  miintte  or  two 
alone  in  that  car  he  made  it  a  point  to  pick  out  the 
most  promising  trtmk  and  switch  claim-checks 
between  it  and  his  own.  His  own  claim-check,  at 
the  end  of  the  trip,  would  call  for  the  good  trunk,  a 
transfer  company  would  deliver  it  at  a  flivver 
address,  and  Bud  would  move  on  as  soon  as  it  cam^ 
without  teaving  too  many  traces  as  he  went 

The  new  coup,  Bud  claimed,  was  the  better  of  the 
twa  And  he  was  glad  to  get  to  Detroit  to  try  it  out. 
He  was  as  interested  in  it,  in  fact,  as  a  Belasco  would 
be  in  a  new  {uroduction.  But  that  particular  per- 
formance never  got  to  the  footlights.  For  it  was  al 
Detroit  that  poor  old  Bud  got  his  fall 

I  was  cooped  at  the  Stattler,  and  Bud  was  holding 
out  at  the  Pcmtchetrain.  He'd  sidetracked  there  for 
a  day,  working  out  a  slough  against  a  Grosse  Pointe 
automobile  nabob  who'd  made  half  a  million  out 
of  war  munitions  and  was  trying  to  spend  the  most 
of  it  in  one  dinner  orgy,  tie  was  just  laying  the  last 
ropes  when  Shy  Sadie  Driscoll  blew  into  Bud's  ken- 
nel and  invited  him  to  swing  in  with  her  on  a  turn 
of  the  old  panel  game  with  some  new  trimmings. 
Bud  "threw  her  flat"  as  she  put  it  Shy  Sadie  tried 
to  wipe  out  that  throw-down  by  Mowing  the  tout 
and  haviaf  a  liagr  cop  waQc  m  on  Bnd  when  ha 


84      THE  HOUSE  OP  INTIUGUB 


WM pfttly ansdcMt to bt ahjot.  Bmikt^htdVm 
wlA  Ifct  foodi  oo.  Tht  btft  ht  comM  4o  wit  to 
wve  iM  om  of  tihe  ndiit.  He  Bed  Ukt  t  trooper, 
through  tfnve  honv  of  tfiird-dcyrMiiig^  ^iit  to  isve 
my  tca^  At  the  rtry  first  move  he'd  tfirowii  me 
the  high-eign  not  to  reeogniae  hhn,  not  to  kaow  hhn, 
not  to  be  interested  hi  him.  I  ceti|^  the  cue,  and 
itiKk  to  ft.  And  to  Shjr  Sadie's  mortifieatioii,  I 
wide  good  op  it.  But  ft  hiirt»  eveo  to  have  to  pfaigr 
ont  tiiat  part  of  giving  aqr  old  riiiiiuiif«iato  the  cold 

It  hart  me  a  tot  more,  tfaooi^  not  bchig  aUe  to 
get  near  the  man  who  needed  me  mote  tnen  ever 
before.  But  Biad  commanded  me  to  aland  den.r. 
He  said  ft  was  only  vm]r.  He  seemed  to  know 
what  was  coming.  And  ft  came  sooner  than  I 
imagmed.  It  was  a  raihoad  case,  a  tiiroi^^  tr^ 
andnostops.  They  gave  him  Jackson  for  ten  years. 

He  sent  me  word,  hter  on,  tint  he  wanted  to  see 
me.  He  exfrfained  thst  the  case  against  him  was 
dosed  and  that  there'd  be  no  risk  m  die  vidt 

So  I  went  1^  to  Jadcson  by  tiie  hiterwfaan.  It 
was  my  first  i^nqise  of  a  state  penitenttaty.  Fd 
nev«>  even  i^ifl^aed  the  hiskle  of  a  comity  jail  Td 
never  dreamed  vHiat  ft  was  tint  had  been  standmfr, 
all  the  white,  jnst  one  torn  of  tibe  road  ahead  of  me 


TRB  HOITSS  OF  IMTSIGim  S8 


But  that  first  glimpse  of  stir  suddenly  opened  my 
eyes.  I  beheld  a  living  tomb,  and  the  horror  of  it, 
the  hopikiitnii  of  it>  itnick  d^sp,  like  a  kaiiM,  tote 
my  heart 

I  tried  to  hide  this  horror  during  my  long  talk  with 
Bud,  but  it  was  no  use.  Bud  even  tried  to  make  me 
see  the  thh^^  in  a  different  light,  and  explained  that 
Jackson  was  one  of  the  best  pens  in  the  Union,  and 
that,  on  the  whole,  he  was  lucky  to  be  in  a  place 
mtmn  Utd  fit  sach  att-roimd  good  treatment  and 
10  mmf  ^Mioes  for  a  commutation.  But  Bud  had 
iomething  more  than  his  own  troubles  to  talk  about 

''Kid,"  he  asked  tm,  ''whal'a  the  iim  of  ycm 

four 

It  had  altsiiiied  down  to  a  couple  of  tMa»  and  I 
tcdd  him  to. 

Then  he  sat  studying  my  face. 

"WeU,  I've  been  thinking  about  this  for  a  long 
thne.  I  could  see  there  wa^s  ;Jways  a  chance  of  it 
coouac.  And  I've  gathered  the  ganlwa  to  ha«t 
you  taken  rve  oft" 

"But  1  want  you  to  take  care  of  me,"  I  tr  t  IniB. 

He  shook  his  head.  "Thqr've  fot  me  here  ind 
ten  years  is  a  long  timel" 

The  thot's^t  of  it  made  me  wild. 

"But  I'll  ffet  yon  out  of  here.  IH  fit  Ot  tat 


S6       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

tfwt  fOfvcraof  VBlfi  I  wMh  ft  pwdiMi  Mil  of  tit  Wft* 

fmf 

Bod  only  lnnlwtf,  tum^  tfiesv  wMs't  mi^ 
hi^nesi  in  tioa  lMi#k 

"I'm  here,  honeyftri  a  nl  fatre  I've  got  to  Hay. 
That's  not  what  Vm  wmtfmg  AoaL  Wwyou  Tvt 
got  OQ  WBif  mif^  |Mt  BOW.  AmA  I  want  to  4o  tilt 

riglit  tyng  V  ii^** 
"Wliat  em  yos       I  Mked,  ftmijnsif  Ut  bmiry 

I'm  foinf  to  ttjp  ipiwi  a^padf  for  lianliiig 
you  down  As  wti^^  X  I'm  v^iiHg  to  ghpo  ywt  • 
dmna  at  tiie  ellw  Mad  of  ivkig.*' 

**Ipeverldchad  agitirttfcis  way  of  Uviag^"  I  tsM 
uuu* KKNonf i^n iixoigsii nt nocye*  aoctaaivwiOTr 
certain  tfanm  irfddb  I  ooitfdn't  lido  naMaikeriQr' 
aidioii^  at  the  iw—wtf,  I  was  adnsKd  ^ 

'ThafiJiiit^ii^tiirQflg,'' Bud  told  Mfc  We've 
both  been  b&id  to  iSAa^  you  can't  aflbid  >  si^ 
•tepk  And  now,  laiidiii,  yoa*Ye  got  to  get  Uof  aud 
liave  your  cjnt  Qpaadr 

WW  ao  ifliiiwn  Ant  Imk  frig^liaed  nw.  And  I 
WW  hoaj  wiHWiwiim  wiaK  he  esoid  be  hotdtf^  back 

"TIk  int  Afaif  I  want  to  do  b  fet  you  over  on 


THE  HOLiE  OF  INTRIQUE  57 


tfM  oth«r  ^  al     fiat.      amr  M  ttii  with 

yuo  faere  m  m  Siaitt,  tfioag^  God  iawwt  I  did 
wli^Ieo^tokeepyoiid6tt^«v«f7tliiiig.  And 
I  doa't  wwt  to        tfMiifd  ever  be  a  danee  of 

yom  farii^  wl»t  I've  f"?^  o  het,*' 

The  terror  of  Hf-m  k«f  Idack  ycin»  itfelcliing 
eat  cadte  sly,  <  alter  *He  other,  and  one  ?%  tmptf 
m  tbt  other,  w&d'  nh  "^ped  my  tool.  B  it  Bad 
tm»^  m  imyAi  t  jtWtk  b  head,  for  it  wet 

Jaiahefa&  i  to  see  flte  cry.  Thi. she  wcitt<m  again. 

•  BadJiL,  /oc  were  bom  with  brtfatt,  md  yoo're 
fois  t  3«e  two  or  tfme  ycer^  liviaf  maoag  the 
rigt  i  etrt  of  people." 

Tai  aot,"  I  promptly  tdd  Mm.  '  tried 
H.  Ar^  tfw  fight  eort  of  people  always  ^.  ^  ^ 
w     ^   (X)pie  wA  flMs." 

"'^t**  jtttt  whet  Fve  been  trying  to  ic  ^  ju, 
\  or  re  going  to  hsve  yow  eyes  opened.  Yoifre 
go  ^  to  ietin  how  wrong  you've  ben  iodcing  at 
eveiyimq^r 

For  ft  BMMaiat  I  tiioo^t  hif4  roped  me  ia  for  • 
^ir-rm  s^ooi  or  ooe  of  ^me  peadl  forme  vriwre 
j«i  frow  vegetid)Iet  bcttde  »  flHm  wA  ft  ptmip- 
gu8<  Asd      hs^rt  MiitCi 

'*^t  fiaced  iq>  ttd  t^i^ed,"  ea^bmied  petiwit^ 
eyed  old  Bod.  '^or  I  tfaoni^  tUe  oat  a  lof«  tone 


58       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


before  yesterday.  And  you're  going  to  hxvt  a  couple 
of  years  of  peace  and  progress  in  an  Ursaline  acad- 
emy called  The  Pines." 

"Where's  that?"  I  demanded,  getting  ready  to 
back  right  out  of  the  harness. 

"That's  about  fifty  miles  across  the  border,  up  in 
Canada.  And  you're  going  to  team  a  lot  up  there 
that  I'd  never  be  able  to  teach  you.  And  after  a 
while  you're  going  to  like  it" 
I  sat  looking  at  him. 
"I'd  hate  it,"  I  finally  announced. 
Bud  only  shook  his  head. 
"You're  going  to  have  a  little  white  nxwi  witfi 
ivy  all  around  the  window.  You're  going  to  have  a 
clean  white  bed  and  clean  peopleto  liTe  with.  You're 
going  to  hear  birds  sing,  and  bells  ring— and  a  differ- 
ent line  of  talk  than  big-mitter's  slang.  You're  going 
to  study  music  and  sewing  and  deportment  and  have 
morning  and  evening  chapel,  and  Kg  trees  to  sit 
under,  and  rows  of  flowers  to  waBe  between,  and 
real  women  to  talk  over  your  trouWtes  wtA.  Airf 
after  the  first  week  or  two,  when  you  get  over  the 
wtench,  you're  going  to  wake  up  and  feid  ^ 
quiet  lives  aren't  always  the  empty  oMa.** 
I  still  sat  there  staring    turn.  F«r  a  tabm$»  or 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  » 


two  I  tctaaSfy  tiwai^  ^  itir  ted  indt  lum 

'^vt  I  don't  want  tt,"  I  cried  out  hka.  1 
won't  take  it  I'd  radier  be  liere  w^  yott  ilm  in 

Bad  nukd»  even  ihonffk  hit  qrea  were  hagfud. 
Then  he  aoiiered  tq»  afun. 

i  u  racner  tee  yon  tcreweo  oown  tn  your  coon 
than  ever  oooie  mto  diit  tort  of  a  piacet"  he  told 
me.  "And  lor  tiie  next  year  or  two  yoo  can't  atay 
loote  thit  tide  of  the  line.  If  i  all  poki  f<x  and  tat- 
tled, tiiat  new  ber&  of  yoiaa.  Fve  aeea  to  tfwt 
And  if  yott  ever  tiioai^  aaydih^  of  me  yooH  take 
die  chance  tiiat  Fm  trym|^  to  yoOt" 

"Wi^  do  yott  lay  Hbt^r*  I  aikad,  ttn^sgBag  k 
vain  to  ke^  my  face  ttrai^hti 

Heeaote  WU  mdoe  thinat  ratirr  lar  me  kwB. 
kaowin|(  Fm  ti^y&^  to  aqoare  for  iduift  I  <Bd  lo 
your 

Ana  maif  i  ftratinperan  waa  aow  i  cmm  i»  ffm 
up  to  ^a  UiauCBe  academjr* 
Xt  waH^t  esme^  tiM  tame  aa  alk>,  hm^  at  ftdl,  it 

^k^^M^B^^k^^  '  ^H^BM^^^^i^      ^h^k      t^^k^X  MMM^k  .^B^^aMRft     't^MMi^k^^M  ^^^^^^K^k 

■BQDBB  vWDK  W  BHB  w9  •hw        OOHT  »  HHOIv  '  «vWw 

iBMUft  AM  ftwBft^  iirfM^  MMHlL'  W^rikS^lilii^  A'^IMilii 
^•^p*'  ^^m^^^^  v^^^H^Pr*  w  ^^S^^WP  tBK-  '^WiWI^^^ 


60       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


before  I  could  board  a  W^aih  train  for  tbe  FaOs, 
got  me  back  the  same  as  tfaongh  Yd  been  a  lifter  in 
an  i:q>-8tate  ref<MrinatcM7. 

I  went  bade,  but  it  began  to  make  me  bitter 
toward  Bud.  I  sscretfy  accused  bim  of  trying  to 
band  me  a  doae  ^  Ins  own  medicine.  I  even  won- 
dered if  he  wasn't  Mnq>ly  trying  to  save  me  for  him- 
idf,  if  he  wasn't  merely  maneuvering  to  keep  me  in 
pidde  there  until  he  could  rope  a  reprieve  and  come 
SBdcanymeoff.  For  I  seemed  to  be  in  a  worW  of 
deep-walkers.  They  were  all  so  quiel-vofced  and 
sedate  and  so  far  away  from  my  busy  old  world  of 
noise.  It  even  took  Sister  Theresa  Aree  days  to 
teadi  me  how  to  sit  down  hi  a  diair.  I'd  done  it 
wfoi«allmyfif«,vnAoatknbwingit  Andlhad 
to  do  without  my  face-powder,  and  cot  oat  the  sla^ 
and  kam  how  to  ]^  ny  voice  and  fne  Ughts-out 

at  mae  o'ckxk— at  mne  o'dock,  and  little  Me  the 
ai^iNml  who  «*d  to  hit  the  hay  when  Ae  nuBE- 
wa«o08  were  n^lng  up  from  tiie  ferty^^  i  There 

were  a  tot  of  oAer  a&ip  I  had  to  ten.  Aoo#i  I ' 
^dxH  seem  to  know  it  at  the  thne.  There  was  a 
dHMfe  taioagflKe,  tiioai^  I  ooiddo^t  see  it 

It  ^wwA  ««i  Copperhead  Kiii        to  see  «• 
St  The  Fines  lhat  I  levied  how  frait  this  cfaangt 

alrcatfywai.  She  came  heavily  vtOrf,  and  itiiiiif ^ 


THE  BOU^  OF  INTRIGUE  61 


all  in  black,  and  she  carried  herself  as  discreetly  as 
though  she  were  under  the  eyes  of  twenty  elbows  at 
once.  But  I  could  feel  the  difference.  She  was 
snaky  and  brazen  and  hard,  and  all  her  affectations 
of  gentility  struck  me  as  grotesque.  She  told  me 
that  Bud's  health  was  bad  at  Jackson,  and  that  we 
ought  to  do  something  to  get  him  out.  I  hated  her 
more  than  ever,  not  only  because  I  felt  she  had  come 
to  spy  on  me,  but  also  because  she  could  still  speak 
of  Bud  Griswold  with  such  a  proprietary  air.  I 
think  she  envied  me,  and  was  glad  of  anything  that 
would  make  me  miserable.  She  went  away  saying 
ihe'd  be  glad  to  carry  any  message  I  cared  to  send 
in  to  Bad,  and  left  me  a  Saginaw  address  to  send 
it  to. 

I  thought  about  Bud  a  great  deal,  the  next  week 
or  two.  I  worried  over  him.  It  was  only  on  the  last 
Saturday  of  every  month  that  we  were  allowed  out, 
always  with  one  of  the  Sisters.  I  had  grown  friend- 
lier with  Sister  Angelica  than  with  any  of  the  oth- 
en,  for  we  both  loved  candy,  and  often,  in  the 
recreation  rooms,  ate  a  little  box  of  smuggled  choco- 
lates togetho*.  On  the  next  Saturday  out,  instead 
jf  being  in  the  dentist's  chair  where  I  was  supposed 
|o  be,  I  bought  a  pound  of  Canadian  maple-sugar 
>|ad  ta  WaalfM*  hardware  ttoft  cane  tnt9  fffmBtr 


* 


42      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUB 

tkm  of  a  twclve^acfa  hack-saw  Uade  of  the  finest 
tn^ercd  Hael.  It  wat  to  finely  tempered  that  bade 
in  mf  foom  I  was  abk  to  coil  it  up  like  a  watch- 
iprini^  and  wkt  it  together  with  a  couple  o' 
pint.  Thenlm^ttddownabouthaUfof  mymaple- 
ov«r  an  akohoMan^  and  poured  it  into  a 
fomd  MMq^H&h.  Befof«  it  hardened  I  dropped  the 
ooiledHqinw  into  the  center  of  it  In  half  an  hoar, 
idKtt  I  turned  it  out  it  looked  nothing  more  than 
a  cake  of  n^b-atigar.  Then  I  tied  it  up  carefully, 
vuA  Wbed  one  of  tiie  day-scholars  to  mail  it  to  Cop- 
peHiead  f  or  n»^  inth  a  Utile  iiBHpMd  no^  of 

UiHU  UwUUSa  aOSmBw* 

It  mt  two  wcdcs  liter  that  Copperhead  Kate 
fo^peared  hi  tiie  bald,  white-walled,  curtainlew 
necptkn  room  of  the  UrsuUne  academy.  She  was 
•tffl  black,  but  ^  tkne  her  vifl  of  heavy 
crape* 

Xlte  yon  get  rid  of  ^  woman?"  she  said  toot 
between  her  teeA,  for  Sister  Angdka  had  accom- 
pmdeft  AM  to  tiiat  ^MitfmJkd  won  wkk  ita  aix 
pietmct  of  ifac  different  Smnti. 

Srter  A»g^  I  tWnk,  read  ngr  iue  only  too 
w^atlaMlorataltii^agrciHcron  fannly 
Mn,  Bat  At  wwt  ifwilkt  fMOi  withoat  t 
WQcd> 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTSIGUE  & 

Co|ipcfiiBtid  Kate  Ihfi  ihuwimU     mra  idoM. 
had  tdm  »  witdi  from  ker  pttne  and  m  Iwi^ 
itinlMriiaiid.  I  aaw  ^  a  i^ce  dwt  k  was  BwTt 
Ume-fiace*  And  my  heart  began  to  poaad. 

1  fMM  yoed  better  atiffea  up  for  a  fbock,"  ajr 
caller  told  ine»  watchiiq;  my  face  wiHi  her  ikepy 

'mat* a  hqppcaedr  I  deanaiided,  itarinc  Urn 

"BoA  wanted  you  to  hsva  ^i^"  Coppcifaead  Kate 
eapidiKd  as  die  fasaed  the  wafted  over  to  me. 

•mWa  Bndr  I  aM,  ahaoit  hi  ft  aeieaat. 
Coppcfhaad  Kate  wawed  ate^  by  a  iiwwmiiit,  not 
to  taita  my  voice. 

"Th^  ihot  Bod  dme  dqpa  ago  when  ha  was  try- 
fag  to  anha  Ua  geNKwigr*''  I  hcaid  tha  vomaii  in 
bhKk  taymg  to  me.  I  aat  imhig  at  hv  iiaS*  AB 
tfaa  wQ^d  wt  aafaity  in  froitt  ol  ma. 

mt^dtethhariadioed.  Thalmbchhidte 
vettmoiraaNH^riBv*''"*^'^**"'  *  mm>^^9m-^^^ 
i^BMtt  nMMwt  movimv 

^Tdjateahaam,**!  whl|iwiH,atht  Itatndk 

<1Nd  hid  m  awea  bm  mway  inMli  ft  itei 


U      THE  HOUSE  OF  mfKXSm 


Htmt  htAmmtImm  him  in  «  ato  •!  implti  imir, 
Untij  aiBpf  it  from  »  watt  when  oa»of  the  pwfdi 

*^o«»«Mi  I  gofeto  him?"  I  aiked.  IwMonn^ 
feet  hjr  iMitkiitb  bnk  I  nofticed       mgr  kneet  woe 


Kme  still  mt  shMfyiaf  mjr  £toe.  I 
Ubitk,  Atwm  wtkoff^  a  mwIM  tort  of  jcqr  out  of 

  * 

my  uiiMry. 

'^OB  can't  fet  to  ten,"^  explained.  *Vot  unless 
you  to  i>"B  oat  of  tm  indHa  of  quick- 
limer 

^K^d  9Dt  19  fiom  her  diair. 

4eadr  I  r^eiied  ^racaatly»  holdrng  on  to 
^  hadrof  ngr  dmir. 

Cofpariwad  Kate  aMwriTri  that  question  by  mov- 
h^  her  ^pdlad  faee  slowly  up  and  down.  I  stood 
looktnf  at  the  paiatiiig  of  St  Ai^hoi^.  I  looked  at 
ft  a  laoif  UiMu  X  Imaar  when  my  nSSitf  tmwed  Mid 
nan.  I  waa  conscious  of  her 
tofward  the  door.  I 
Ipbm^  j^KM^  sl»  moved  as  softfy 
as  aanha:-  fia^faeie  secamd  nothing  for  me  to  jqr. 


alfcAat  wwk.  Tha  whole  laQtid 


HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  6S 


tMBtd  to  Iwvt  tfeopped.  I'd  hitched  my  wagon  to 
Bm4  wmmttfd  pot  his  light  out.  I'd  tried  to  bdp 
Wmk,  Md  tend  of  that  I'd  hurt  him  in  the  only  • 
ttet  wm  klllor  him  to  be  hurt  He  was  dt;  c 
andlw^CMieof  itl 

I  waa  iM  cmgii  of  ngr  Uttle  white  room  of 
peae^  4miag  iht  mast  lew  weeks.  I  was  easier  to 
maiiafl^  i^Mr  that.  I  atill  hated  the  confinement. 
I  it^fwoilad  inaphrit  at  the  smalhieiB  of  the  world 
^kadwOidiiietipm.  B«t  I  bcfn  to  umIi  out 
for  tomething  staUe,  at  a  time  when  aS  wy  worid 
aeoMd  fi»m^  ISce  the  wooden  horses  of  a  carousd. 
I  even  b^an  to  atndy,  for  I  found  that  it  made  ne 
ioffet  AbA,  even  mon  tiian  before,  thm  were 
ihiHg^H  liliinj;  jiliirr.  itThm|[h  I  -f-V"  — ]  ^ 

I  oHm  weodtted  if  Bod  knew  what  he  waa  doiag 
wiMniitaenlnietotiMitpiaoe.  loaedtoailin^ridl 
if  ht  radbed  ^  he  wne  edaeatiog  me  away  ftm 
him«  forever.  For  wu  artually  wiirt  hippene4 
Tlw  oii  Wi^t  iMgia  to  aeon  (ktm  wad  the  old 
jpBMifcmri  m  pe^atic  aa  ^  wttoo  grape-vmes  tfaqr 
lestoott  road^Kxtae  rfitaiiranit  with.  I  no  loagnr 

that  lfo4fiii't  Inad^  ^  vibM  oHdcii^  tl  Ml 
hit  did^  ttiidL  Ihigwto^wilitttiiaiili^li^ 


66       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

levengrewtothodderttit  I  wm  wiBy  kwrfaf 
mow  liiw  Fwndi  wta  wd  hem  to  phfwe  notei  of 
coadokace  with  deguMC  I  wm  lewniiig  to  kxik 
at  Hfc  ftom  ^  m»  tide,  instiMl  of  from  the 
wider.  And  to  I  got  in  the  habit  of  tandng  things 
over  wsA  Sifter  Angelica.  She  waatfie  only  woman 
I  ever  knew  who'd  never  blow  toot,  aa  Btid'a 
friends  woold  phrtM  it  She  helped  me  a  lot  But 
the  could  never  make  toy  world  over  lor  me.  She 
triedhafd.  Bat  that  sort  of  thmg  in*!  done  in  real 

fife. 

I  stood  the  Ursi^  academy  for  mnetesft  kmg 
mondis.  And  then  I  made  my  escape. 
Why  it  was  I  don't  know;  hut  I  had  to  get  away. 

There  vras  peace  aB  aroimd  ne,  time  wasn't 
peace  hi  my  heart  Ferine  k  was  tiMhartessaUd 
tiie  baldness  of  the  ptaee  that  proved  too  modi  for 
me— for  deep  down  m  my  soid  there  was  that 
absttfd  hot  that  vernal  himger  for  splendor.  I  was 
Messed  or  cawed  with  a  tove  lor  cojor,  far  richness. 
Something  wHUa  ma  always  lespondsd  to  Htm 
polished  soriaees  of  old  vfood,  to  ^  hstmom^ 
tones  of  tapestiy,  to  the  high  fights  yoa  see  in  sliver 
aadeatp^ass.  If rdbeeftftpawaMcB^s^q^ 
it  would  have  been  easier  to  expfaihs.  And  I  knew 
I  coidd  asvtr  h»«  tlMsa  things.  Bat  I  fc^  M 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUB  0, 


w«rt  not  at  TWt  Piaet.  So  I  Itft  Tht  Pteit  bildiid 

if*  m  V.  MMK  tor  UtVCIUKL   JPfOn  hMW  I  wMC  OB 
JRhBSIOU     «*DD  «DB  OBXS  BIBDC  ■Svv  'BIB  flBBOHI^C 

QMS  flMcv  iof  Mew  Yolic* 

MR  II  WW  V  QUICraR  MCw  XOilC  IRK  «  CMnt 
VhSvW  'hIV  wwHmBOII  VMS  BRHvwRlvVB  ^(  ^rWIR-  OR 

^UBJM|B         ^^^-^^^^^tJB  .^BK^MI^^^^M     ^^^I^UK^a     ^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^  ^I^^^^^^B 

VH^f  imWlM  ox  UKUtif  Wiim  OIHI%  w  m  fBBm  Wt 

^       aooii  pm  a»  alraii^  on  tiwt  It 

D^RRR'  *v  JNBBO^wH  IhB  y  IBIO '  R  VBQKv ' RR  Ov  wBRhw* 
M»  ft  teoii^  llw  HflM  M  tfw  bfOSdi  ^■'^  f&t  irtM 

•hiify  wni  ctKdi  n  titt  iriHtfiki      linif  71Ui& 
2*ik       IiiiiiiiB  ^  widgfilMtd  ^  irorowpw 
iMBAfe ott Mmd of OBftit  ItfmghllkMiPil 
oflnar  MMi  «K  €Biee  gunt      twsfit  %Mt^  tHBtmif 
mkmaf  ^      wt  whr it  r|lrii  in  the  4tkf  hmh 


68      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


I 


It 


for  >  itagt  vtotriloquist,  and  a  dikkeiMttil  lor  a 
tBcwMftii  geatknutti  advcoturaTf  tint  I  wat  noting 
iNSt  a  fUDa  uirowii  sick  tmo  im  orNir  piiciii  Am 
I  fotmd  out  that  I  waa  miitalitn. 

Yet  I  hadn't  ban  bom  and  teoi^^ht  np  In  IfiiwHa 
Lane  lor  nothing;  The  dtj  hadi^t  been  a  al^- 
mother  to  me  for  eigl^een  long  yean  wMKWt  at 
kait  leaving  me  iviee  to  a  lew  of  her  mgFa.  I  hnew 
how  to  piadi  banaaae  from  Dago  Qmtkft  Indt- 
atand  OB  Foordi  Street  before  I  waa  iBNe  Idgh  to  a 
graiehopiwr.  And  at  e^^  I  waa  etaihhiwg  dre^ 
canes  inxn  ue  vareenmaB  noae  cwcwnng'cmiii  /** 

-  ^      ^  II  ■        T       ■  —  ^kXa^S^^m  m   ^^Im^^  ^MmASm^^B  AM^^I 

encceen  x  was  bihiii»  ue  XMuBionv  vtKmHB  eno 
not  d^fi^  at  even  tibe  thought  of  two  etepping  wtth 
a  gugtter  who'd  oraahad  a  eop.  At  eiveatem  I 
coMS  oown     aeeono  ipaie  ot  enae  mm  not  oom  a 

Mha  that,  in  f«ct»  made  np  Ae  iplwdor  of  hie  lor 
me  in  ^wee  foo^di  old  dajs>  Yet  ^be  c^r  had 
lat^  me  to  be  catrtkMn.  Yon  can*t  ioat  lor  loQg 
WOK  tne  weigBPornoog  oi  MHictia  jbane  mn  mc 
Itam  to  leek  oct  for  jfoureelf  or  go  andflr*  And 

BvT^w^  •Ulw&nawia         KiiP  vUnHias     Jk  'wiiw~w  ■  wwRf^t  ^^nj^s 

tS^^^^^M^lA^t  —  ^^^^^^  .M^B  Aa^^  a^^^JL  .^i^B^^^  ^M^^^t  M^^h 
■■^■■■^^■i^MiiiP  ^^Bi^i^^  •^^■^■1  ^^w^w^w  ^M^vr 

Twdiaw  ciwhhren  behig  thiowa  hi 


THE  Boom  OF  tutmssn  # 


lAm  wtter,  wiM  tiM/tc  mere  babies,  so  u  to  km 
tofwim.  The/vegottotwim.  WtQ,  I  wm  thrown 
imo  the  ftraeii*  k  ^  about  the  same  way.  And 
Id  iwitn,  I  tuppoie,  became  an  instinct  with  me.  Bad 
nafisad  tlMt  fram  tin  first,  I  led  iort,  and  I  alwiqpt 
itipadad  hka  for  at  hast  fespacting  aqr  fiivacy  of 
fife. 

Bol  back  ia  tiat  cHy  I  didi^t  find  angr  joba  cmtiiif 
tfiscuftxomerstonmnisdown.  After  my  seooad 
daj  of  maldaf  tiie  want-ad  nnrnds  I  bspa  to  see 
I  wasn't  aqi^pad  lor  aqr^dm.  Att  I  waa  ssparislly 
ttafand  lor  waa  a  oon»«a  k  petticoats— and 
those  are  ^  poaitioaa  Itet  are  never  adverttaed  lor. 
flwB  I  triad  the  Btmatt  ot  Social  Employmr  nt,  paid 
aQFi  lea  tSee  a  mo,  and  woke  np  to  the  fact  that  I 
cooU^  bar^  tai  indb  widiout  references.  And 
Hk  mfy  stteanee  I  aoald  think  of  was  Wend^ 
msktan.  In  a  case  She  that,  tfaoogh,  I  was 
■shimrd  to  make  use  <^  bin.  And  a  week  later  I 

&ea  at  iSm  conet  of  Kfdi  Anemia  and  TmmA§ 
'kmtili  Strait  I  was  sisa  that  he  saw  me,  and  I 
ima  e^aDy  sure  diat  he  avc^ed  me.  He  tamed 
BSStnssBB^  aHO'iMMiiaHp  a  WRDOwi  Sv  naoi  wi  k  wtmm 
ot  weognition.  It  hnrt  me  noia  Hbm  I  atald 
taykilt  jMti^wa  I  coaid  iidiKiwd, 


90    THB  Baat»  or  nmiouB 


I  toiMd  off  tiM  MM  ••  torn  ia  iMvt  at  A  M 
hamd.  I  dkte^  want  people  to  tee  my  face.  For 
tUs  imam,  I  lOppoM,  I  odged  in  dote  to  a  crowd 
UMing  at  tone  imported  poftaiB  k  Bfiiitano's  side 
wkdow.  Rigitt  in  <f«it  of  me  was  a  white-haired 
•U  nan  in  a  gray  onif  orm  braided  with  black.  He 
waaa  ffcdKliedced,  cka»4imbed,  spry-looldng  old 
man.  aad  fraoi  the  bellows-wallet  of  well-worn  piga- 
4dn  which  Itt  CBfriad  in  hia  hand  I  took  hifli  to  be  a 
MMBatMafer  for  one  of  tha  tmat  companies  just 
■roMwl  the  comer.  Yet  he  seemed  to  be  taking 
fBBoiaa  ^g*»*  in  aooM  ol  those  newly  displayed 
Fariiiaa  poaM*  for  VMOoaciotisfy  he  pushed  hia 
wallet  dm  kk  Wa  fodm  and  leaned  ck>ser  to  tha 
(lata  i^aas  lor  a  closer  inspecticm  of  a  odored  cover 
fronLtflUrv.  But  I  gaire  little  further  attntkm  to 
iSut  Uutt-figiuad  old  gentleman,  for  the  more  maa- 
iiva  figwa  oa  my  ri^  I  aoddcalj  diaoowMi^  m 
aoi  aUufethar  wdmown  to  na. 

It  took  ma  aevaral  minutes  to  place  him.  Then  I 
lamenibeiad.  It  was  Pinky  McOone,  the  oon-mai^ 
^  fa^  bhia-eyed,  Irish  boy  who'd  been  die 
daa^ioa  diver  of  Coaihes  Slip  and  grew  up  to  be  a 
liglilii  Ihiff  Md  kler  worked  the  bathing-beadiea 
m  m  Ut-wmid  aad  incidentally  the  baHNia  tte- 
ate  aa  1  %  aad  «aleli4iltar,  mikmm  ^ 


TBB  HOUSE  er  wt^amm  n 


far  Mr  Ufiir  fi4rfi«i  wM*     day  mtglit  bHqf 

iBt^  Hfi  Bw4  I  Hlimiilll  t  bad  conferred 
loiV  Md  iiaM%  tlMt  dqr  at  Long  Batch  whe«  I 

wftft  te  ll^t  flUBfaiVM^ 

Iwm^mm^tai&B^fSlKmSihnnt  facta  in  ny 
■iBd  iHv^  I  aolM  fMor  MeOone's  trig  bronzed 
]iMAem^««ttotefOclNltfiBt  held  the  wallet.  It 
M  M  Md  Mit  •  hit  ei  poke-anatdung  aa 
I'd  twr  aaen.  Hot  note  ftnon  in  thit  doaa^r 
fMhad  umwd  cmi^  a  move.  A 

jii  Liiilliil  hMT  Fhd7  W  «dgh«  airily  off  towatd 
mh  A^wna  aid  I  waa  imadaihig  juat  what  I 
oi^todOb  B^reThid#alMMato  answer  that, 
towiitr. »  wall  paut  frofn  tteamanad  old  bnai^ 
fHBMr  Mid  It  wm  Ki^v-'^p^Sy  annoondng  to  a  ndier 
ilHftkiicfaiit^  odooifiera  ^  he  had  been  r  .bbed. 

I  dbWI  iwit  l»  M  aofiT  for  hia.  Foi  Puixr, 
iMa  lad  tMMd  aooA  m  ^  avenue  and 
■■a  dilflli^  iaaiii  teagH  .ha awwd  toAard  Ifad^ 
am  SfMC^  ihakiag  hands  wiiiltea^  I  mifftm 
l9fiBd«itlMrdi«aMiii^aniitfet4w^.  But 
hawMaaaaqrtoapQtaafti^-lMa;  I  laMawai 

w&m  mA  im  ikt  aqpiafa  wlnn  Ik  aaddenly 


7Z      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


UMIfCHMBk  M  Wl8  ft  tlWII|^  ft  Wlit  WfUlW  ^ 

BooHB  Mript  TlMt  eoB-nta  M  CMglft  tiglit  of 

-  ttM*.  -  _  _  till  I  ilitMit        A  -  -*  iiMii     ^fcliJi  taiiar  tm 

mBtKt  ft  SaMoiTO  Or  ft  oifMi  aw-"^WBi  «nir  m 
timffy  an  ofieer  in  pliin  floHwi         Itt  didn't 
^MBift  Us  tnil  to  craH  kis  cnnmr'fk 
So  I  dropped  down  on  the  lanM  bench  witliPiiikj, 

with  ft  iMti^ont  ttdt  of  wMffaMM.  X  codd 
iM  In^pactin^  nt  onk  of  tiht  comcf  ^  Ut  ^pt 
It  l»  tant  over  hit  ft^er.  If y  htinc  tet  ^dn't 
■tem  to  add  to  hit  teoiddtti  What  wofritd  hhn 
wit  Aat  phdn^odNt  ama  idKi  wtSttd  ilowfy  by. 
Pfaigr't  note  wat  wMdn  tix  inditt  of  tfw  tportmg^ 
pagt  at  thtf  thiged  drifted  to  arUeadr  patt  onr 
bneh.  Bat  I  had  tain  the  oOotr'i  ^  taka  hi 
jnn^r t  ntttnt  qpni*  i  imaw  na  wttm%  an  arant 
at  ha  hwhtd. 

•  -         *    ,  J   t--  J  — *  «       -M  -«   

iMnnBy  I  anppoi%  anvMB  a  na^  as  «a  laniB 
ii^  f<M  hi  wiMi'l  kltii^  rma  miwa  of  tht  nnimj 

-ft- » *A  -  A  —  fta*^Aft-  —ft — ^ —  %  —  AILa  ^^^^^^      V  ^ak^^M 

na  tnttMtft  MBtaomr  wong  na  aMnk  i  anewt 

totBhaftdMBBft  And  foriom  naaon  which  I 
eooMift  ^aila  Mn^  X  lih  illiatumintiil  and  dl^ 
tMfhad  a^'thnt  4MWa8~  of  Idft 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTIUGUB  f$ 


Tor  ditlovt^  GwdflMr*''  ^      '^^  ^  hurried 
■ad  haiky  iort  of  wWiptc,  •^wU  jFOtt  hdp  iM 
I  fm  Mni  ^  kid*^  ftMidiiif  aot  to  tarn 

nvlittbeinidriviiif  1^ 
*'Alif  flfOiviMaiUlKjroaoiichtto  be  ashamed 

of  beiraf  «  ^  ^         ^  **** 

Urn,  Bofc     tenhed  ti^  aside  wift  m  inpttiMt 

n^d^.  y«w  CM  iw*  w  fconi  t«i  years  in  a  cell 
Yoa  cw  do  ft  hy  ao  laon  diaii  a  nove  o' tka  haad.'* 

•*Wlii«  aniat  I  dof  I  iaqiiiicd. 

Ht     te«  widi  lib  Itp  crotMd,  and  the  news- 

fnper  hMvfhk  frani  ^  liiaL  But  bdiind  that 
aemi»  I  knew,  ha  wta  »  tiwifcfy  frightened  mm 
»»htWBid  fi«w«t»elfytht  cater  <rf  old 

•That  aan  ooodag  tamud  «•  is  a  poUoeaia^. 
Ori^  M  waviaf  flato^tnHiga  Tb^p'Te  been 
iM^mtiiaealail  iMft  Ht^d  be  gathering 
B»  ia,  aad  lAia  lit  pia  aw  tea  ru  be  frisked  r 

"WiiiftdMMMBawatfMitaatkanaiked.  "And 
pfciidoyoaaMabyWai&kkid,a^yW^r  But 
I  M  to  mA*  ipite oi  HowiiaAa^ 
amdi  mm  mmm. 

Xit  diif  iiartir  jonr  rtrHfnitr  li — ^  the 

afaaoft  nM^ir,  for  Mi  Una  «rf  ui^imm  had 


74      THE  ROUSS  OF  UffUQIlS 

•Ifiidjtfiitpedby.  TlMpltt»clote«Hi«MifeMP> 
i^lf  down  on  him. 

I  could  feel  the  nam  on  the  bench  aboriaf  the 
p^pddn  waikt  kk  nader  me.  I  neither  moved  nor 
tpihL  I  merely  sat  tight  Tbt  liatid  cat  had 
iloppcd  <Krectlx  in  front  of  m, 

*'Wliat're  you  doing  ia  over  your  dead-line  ?"  that 
officer  was  hiquiring  of  my  new-fonnd  friend. 

*Tm  woridnT  announced  the  man  on  the  bench. 

•^orkiiigr  adncdtiweap^  "So  I  see— and  putt- 
iof  ^  dd  stuff  r^^t  on  the  avenual  So  I  giiiii» 
Phdqr,  we'fl  have  to  toddle  along." 

The  flsan  beside  ne^  I  mM,  had  tita  oa  a 
iMSvy  and  sidiiB  look* 

1  hsvcat  set  foot  oa  that  mmm  far  ami 

vMAm."  hs  ni' II If  slid 

Ton  weren't  up  Fifth  Avenue  llmi  Iwty  ■!» 
■lea  i^fof  demanded  ittt  tiBctet, 

Tvt  been  right  Iwpi  ob  Hiia  beach  lorlki  Inn 
twar  aad  a  half,"  aaaounced  the  other  man. 

'^Ofld8i&  I  aaffaiar  awcfced  the  guardian  of 
the  tew.  Bimiwiiiiria«Wigfa  to  Pinky  that  Mi 
loi  imwt^y  nood  neae  toe  tare  of  his  ground. 

*'Why,  M  lady  haie  kaoaw  I've  base  ea  tWs 
haMk  for       iBt^i^wi^ii^  4i||Mi  ilpiiy 


of     r»wi««  ^ 

The  sinfcd  cat  turned  to  me. 

"Do  yott  know  thU  man?"  he  injured. 

I  shook  my  head. 

•*But  do  you  know  that  he'a  been  here  for  the 
laet  forty  minutes?"  " 

**What  difference  does  it  maker  I  ilaled.  pw 
tending  the  whole  situation  was  a  mystery  to  me. 

"Because  this  man  has  a  police  record  as  a  pick- 
podcet,  and  there's  just  been  a  job  a  coupie  of  bkjcks 
up  the  avenue  that  teoks  like  hit  work." 

**What  was  stolen?" 

"A  bank-runner'a  wallet  ItiU  of  checks  and  notc^*^ 

WW  the  reply. 

"And  I'd  be  roosting  here  on  a  park  bench, 
wouldn't  1, "  broke  m  Fmky,  "if  I  was  beekd  with 
shMlhkethatr 

"How  do  I  know  yoyfft  wot  heeled  with  il?" 
4mMii«d  the  oftoer. 

"StUsly  yoow^.  my  friend,  satisfy  yourself," 
IgmrlMI^  announced  the  man  on  the  bench.  The 
Imiitfft  ^opptd  dowa  oo  the  seat  beside  him.  I 
coukl  see  Mtn  pate  his  hands  cmr  the  other  man's 


M      THE  BO^B  OF  IHTRIGUS 


series  of  passes  and  toadies.  It  ootddn't  have  takes 
half  a  miiMitt  &it  it  MMaed  to  Mtsify  tilt  officer 
of  the  law. 

Ha  was  plainly  disi^tpointed,  and  Pinlgr»  I  oould 
see,  was  enjoying  the  discomfiturs  of  his  ofpiiHor. 
And  I  considensd  tlMt  it  wm  ateot  tawa  lor  nw  to 
step  into  the  game. 

"Are  yen  an  officer?"  I  demanded. 

The  man  standu^  close  Md*  Pial^  McQoot 
explained  that  he  was  m  officer,  or,  radier  an  oper»> 
tive  for  Lodce's  office,  and  that  a  part  of  the 
Locke  Agency  woric  had  to  do  w^  the  Bankers' 
Protective  AssociatwwL  Pinky  was  leiawaly  lold- 
ing  up  his  newspafW        ^  mmm§  on. 

''AM  rii^t,"  I  sang  oat  to  tfHft  optwtiii,  "gni 

It  was  Wkt  a  horse  sneesing  in  a  f eed-faa|^ 
"He's  what?"  cried  that  startled  singed  cat 
"I  say  he's  stalling.  Here's  the  wallet  Iw  stole, 
fit  tried  topnAjtiwdsrayskittiriwitlpMaff  yott 

cornier 

The  hand  of  that  open^ve  of  Lodce's  went  out 
Bn«lghtning  flash.  It  wMirt  nolil  ht  had  a  im 
pij^  m  the  sladc  of  tlw  otiMr  amf a  itiin  tttt  Im 

^^mm^^  Imtf 


TBB  HOUSE  OP  aiTit^OT  9f 

gle  I  had  expected  a  fight,  an  out-and-out  free- 
for-all  with  fists,  and  had  edged  to  one  side,  to  get 
a  Htth  distance  between  me  and  the  dust  of  that 
engagement  But  Pinky,  for  all  his  strength, 
oicfvd  no  TCsistanoe.  He  looked  at  me  for  a  solid 
Hiirty  seconds,  however,  with  hate  in  his  eye.  He 
could  hsf*  cot  my  heart  out,  without  a  whimper. 

"Ejccuse  me,  miss,  but  would  you  mind  coming 
ilong  to  the  Chiefs  office  with  us?"  that  singed  cat 
was  inquiring  as  Pinky  and  I  finished  our  stare-fest. 

I  went.  And  that  was  how  I  first  came  to  meet 
the  Chief,  Big  Ben  Locke.  And  an  hour  later,  after 
Big  Ben  had  talked  over  tfie  case  of  Pinky  McQone, 
and  asked  me  a  number  of  questions  and  ventured 
the  opinion  that  I  was  an  uncommonly  clever  girl, 
ht  offhandedly  inquired  how  I'd  like  to  be  an  oper- 
•lift,  at  fifteen  a  week  to  begin  with,  and  tog  out 
mm  dothea  and  ride  up  and  down  in  the  Fifdi 
Avenue  busses  as  a  "spotter"  for  f are<ribbers. 

I  (^'t  hesitate  long  over  that  offer,  though  I 
found  out,  later,  that  he  was  handing  me  the  cake 
wMi  the  icing  side  up.  But  my  triumph  was  clouded 
by  tte  thought  of  Pinky  McCkme.  I  still  had  the 
hm  ol  looUng  at  thii«i  ftom  tlw  ocGMkma 
•ffHliitf*t  iUb  of  the  line. 
«mi  tiwl  mm  mBy  pt  m  ymamr  I  aiM, 


7S      THE  HOUSE  OF  QiTItlGUB 

hmfj  of  hMft,  for  I  couldn't  Im^  mnemberkg 
wiitl  I  laid  M  of  tht  faiside  of  Jadaon.  Aadtv 
Tcan  was  a  terribly  faif  put  of  aajr  nMi'f  ttfo. 

"^tH  benxm  tan  tm  daji,"  was  hit  mlort  "Bol 

i<DC  ill linW  MBHi  mmDKb  •  ^RNvm  19  WnnwK  wBKmm  vl^SRw 

uiouMnii  coom  in  NcnsMt  dkk  mm  f(uui|  mi 


CHAPTER  FOUR 


I SIGHED  heavily,  as  I  Mt  Aaw  CO  «y  f«* 
bench,  not  so  nnidi  it  Art  loof  retRMpeet  of  t 
vastcd  young  life,  but  more  at  tlw  ^leofwy  Art  I 
was  as  hungry  as  a  cradt«r*i  booaL  ^li  X  dt* 
remembered  that  I'd  surely  enjoy  a  respectakly  kag 
walk  before  stumbling  over  my  ntrt  flMrt. 

Post-mortems,  as  a  rule,  are  apt  to  to  dipmifaii^ 
And  I'd  reviewed  my  past  ud.  warM  ^nim. 
tmtil  I  was  tired,  yet  it  didnft  mm  I©  •"T 
light  on  the  dilemma  that  itill  coafronliit  rtt.  H 
wasn't  my  nature,  I  know,  to  bt  nocM  brt  ip*« 
you've  got  a  past  that  jroa  cai^t       llili  i  iijj^i-^illfc" 
out  wearing  shin-pads,  it's  better  tekMf  to  tfco  «pB> 
What  vras  over  was  over,  md  iartni  ol  cwr^m 
wreaths  to  the  cemetery,  I  told  Art  Uuiifiy  Mi 
which  is  so  often  the  steprialcr  of  ilyiiiij!  bo^M* 
behooved  me  to  hie  to  a  Innchety  wbenrX  wM 
take  of  Hamburger  steak  and  hot  eoftw. 

Sol  got  up  from  my  bendi  and  ilrtliA  eartPiWl 
toward  Fifth  Avenue.  I  moved  qnkkly  akwg 
k)aely  walks,  for  the  evening  air  bad  givoi  m  ft 

79 


80       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


iBue  of  chifflmn  lad  At  tho<^^  of  hot  cofet  >iM 

ft  ^piff  to  steps. 

I  WM  llmOSl  it  dlO  AfOIUM  wfaCB  I  boOIHO  SWtfV 

of  a  oortafai  lact  Yet  it  wm  not  »  fact  It  wu 
mora  E  BUfuusCt  lint  wtiio  ss  you  sw  a  ^||Ufiiii( 
ftwh  with  your  eyes  dutt  Som  one  wot  foUowimg 

I  did  not  look  back  tmtil  I  had  dodged  a  bus  and 
a  covey  of  tnolor-can  scurrying  northward  to 
hone  and  dhmer.  Then  I  walked  sou^  a  Milk,' 
and  tamed  east  afahi.  Then  what  h|i  at  int  oid^ 
oeen  a  ^uescKNH  grew  inco  a  suspicioii>  wb  wm  mm  < 
picion  merged  into  a  certain^.  /  mm  MitgfoOowti, 
And  tiie  cave^woinaa  who  itffl  housed  inside  niy 

me  in  the  shape  of  a  saddn  httle  tingle  of  ncrva- 
ends. 

I  stopped  and  slated  iq»  at  a  TKMne-monber.  The 
sm  who  ms  duuiowing  me  came  doeeft  hesitated 
for  a  moment,  passed  bgF»  and  platidjr  sfackened  his 
pace. 

I  stiH  found  ft  htfd  to  b^eve  tiiat ^vnM  his 
quarry.  So,  to  try  him  out,  I  swung  aboot  and 
started  in  the  opposite  directkm.  The  momwit  he 
saw  my  mom,  ht  did  the  same.  I  even  crossed  Ae 
sti^eet  at  tibe  neat  comer  mid  doiAled  on  my  tracks. 


THB  HOUSE  OF  INTKICm  9k 


Tit  mm  Mkmti  am.  not  « linndred  steps  beldii4 

TlMB  I  twonff  about,  and  calndj  ^Mtd  19  nqr 
■iMrfiiwcir  ItfKvtiiitaalarttOMethatitwasthe 
ant  maict  f ictd  UtUt  old  nan  who  had  watdMd 
aw  is  tfia  ektator  of     AUtroid  Theater  Building. 

ImcBfnUadtheniatybtadL  Then  I  remembered 
Mrf9ir-Mt  ejet  and  ^  pinched  old  face  and  the 
•k  ^  Aahby  nd  liwBiRg  fantUity.  Yet,  tfaaa- 
pHfWt  M  ipara  1^  mcwwamnta  aa  a  taflor,  ttNra  waa 
a  aala^  dHwminatfam  thoM  aanie  movement^ 
a  lat^fuitifaiiiaaiflddi  made  ten  ahngat  funny. 
But  if  Bif  Baa  and  !iia  oftea  nif*  aandhig  out  that 
aotlalopaiativa  to  ihadoarnyat^  I  decided,  thay 
mil^  aa  lidl  awnniiiira  It  in  a  Jyajpu  AranMngr 
baby  from  IM  wmdd  hava  hnown  ivlwt  waa 
ite*  it,  hi  a  chaw  fiiw  ^  Aad  iHien  you've 
chrilwi  ilaflad  up  ani  ifmrn  ■  nrnntrr  yrr 
1^  tibe  hilift  of  watching  Aa  faar  viaw  in  yanr  oft 
mBaNaUb     WW  aa  a       tea,  no  BHtMr  hew 

llddi  tibaanifla  worms  B^|rlli> 

Yatlpridada^yadf  oahnowhif  aHAeopatatiyaa 
hi  Lochia  d&M,  and  1 1^  ama  tfda  old  maa  idia 
iiAid  a»  «HHgh  ha  had^  hi  Ma  Joima  wi^ 
oaa«ften.  Be  cmMVI  ha  ana  of  ten.  SMhi 


82       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

fi^pi  wkicii  Im4  bsntd    ki  WtM  X^A^ 

■ililiiilj  tnrmil  ttidiP  r- ^  r*^ 
iho»iH»hidtttluiiiiiiBHitoloioir«tfarfeiP» 

hottnitet  dljr. 

It  mitflw^tt  I  Hupni  iliort  for^iteoadtiMt, 
tad  lit  CMM  wriiHnc  up.  prwi^  liimMU  tt  1» 
ctne,  tfMt  il  oeeomi  to  m  oqr  aBM9«r  flrigkl  bt 
nothing  mora  ft  MBit  old  Ii^f4il»  dfiiB^ 
lie  ftap  roBBfaif  doiiB  a  wndmr  taB  Ite  ifiib- 
donpt.^  And  tte  mtm  Uiouglit  of  aMdt  nt 
nmddtr  llutfi  cw« 

Re  wM  iteft  np  to  n»  bf  tt  tti^  wittf 
nbcingly.  I  wil  to  kot  tint  I  eoiM  Imv  aqr 
UoodMlfainijriMi.  Bat  I  iraiMd  on  afriB,  vail- 
iagf  na^  Iw  WM  dmort  ligr  BQriidti 

TiMBl  twiHif  abootonUn.  X  uumI  Iwti  looM 
Iftt  a  wOd-caft  tdtli  oo.  Fd  lad  too  bhkIi  ^ 
men  for  Aat  ona  day. 

'How  dara  yon  to  lotloar  nM^  joa  old 
fKmad?" 

He  stopped  up  dwrt,  vHh  a  lort  of  ■tvM  wtaea. 

«^  I  My  r  lia  iqQHM  in  a  tt  fiitfa  imka* 
tHiddnf  at  me  iiyiwingly  from  aniir  Ida  raHy 
hat"fte. 

"^MV  dM«  yon  lelloir  mer  I  rqpeatad.  TlMPt 
flMft  liava  been  a  kek  of  diif>erttion  in  ngr  tgw* 


• 


THE  mm  ov  MtBum  u 

for  he  began  to  bftck  away,  s  thaflBiif  ttcp  •!  a  tine. 
Bhi  MftlUA  ol4  v«mI  iMt  im  alill  iMr^  aqr 
face. 

"Really,  yoM  know,  I  wouldn't  hann  yo«  lgr 
world,"  he  arsned.  "licASagm^ 
But  I  cut  him  ihort 

"And  bow  dare  you  tpetk  to  me?"  I  continued, 

•liB  is  «y  white  heat  of  indignation.  I  was  in  a 

rageattbtwlMltwofU.  And  ht  wat  att  I  had  to 

take  it  out  on. 
"Bat,  nqr  dear  young  lady,  I'm  compelled  to  tpeak 

to  you,"  persisted  that  weasel-faced  okl  man,  with 

h»  shoulders  uplifted  and  a  sort  of  apologetic  blink 

^oofc  his  wistful  old  eyes.  I  noticed,  for  the  first 

lilM^  the  look  of  strained  anxiety,  of  hungry  eaget^ 

MH^  which  made  those  deep-set  old  eyes  rather 

iwiWfkiWi  BotthaitatolliiifMiiviaaahiidat 

■ails. 

"What  compels  yoa  tor  I  dcmandrd,  ilarinf 
bade  at  him.  There  was  a  sneer  in  my  questkMi, 
bat  it  diduft  iian  to  jolt  him  in  the  least  "What 
4a  yoa  want,  anyway?"  I  asked  with  all  tibe  worhl- 
marhw  I  caakl  possibly  throw  into  the  question. 

Ilipii  to  realise  that  I  wasn't  being  bussed  om 
If^  illMiii<bHi.  Tha  old  man,  I  began  to  see, 


MKMOOrV  RfSOlUTION  TBT  CHART 

(ANSI  ond  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


A   /APPLIED  IM/1GE  Inc 

a?*.      16S3  East  Main  Stmt 

S«      Rochester.  New  Yoi*      1*609  USA 

(716)  482  -  OXX)  -  Phon* 

(716)  288  -  5989  -  roK 


84       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


teemed  to  find  ttlianl  to  explain  just  what  Ins  M- 
Bessmq^be. 

1  wanted  to—"  Then  he  ftopped  short,  as 
tfaoi:^  the  look  of  belligerency  on  my  laoe  left  him 
a  little  dcmbtful  as  to  what  extremes  I  mis^  go. 
Then  he  peered  up  and  down  the  street,  to  make 
sure  we  were  alone.  Then  he  took  a  step  closer  to 
me.  'The— tiie  troth  is  I— er— wairted  to  eaq^lain 
something^— something  which,  I  am  afraid,  is  not 
going  to  prove  easy  of  esqilanation." 

"Then  frhj  tal»  the  dumce?"  I  curtly  inquired, 
for  I  was  stai  an  enemy  to  everything  in  shoe- 
leather. 

But  wi&  all  his  timidity  he  had  no  intention  of 
beti^  side^tradced  hj  any  mere  display  of  bad  tem- 
per. And  it  wasn't  so  easy  to  stay  in  a  rage  at  tiiat 
fiumy  little  nnn  wttfi  the  ferrety  gray  eyes.  That 
much  I  was  discovering,  even  against  my  wiH 

"Because  I  think  you  are  in  rather  desperate 
straits,  and  I  want  to  help  you,"  he  expbiMied.  The 
old  idiot  had  apparently  thought  I  was  considering 
the  movie-stunt  of  takmg  a  header  mto  one  of  the 
park-lakes.  Life  may  have  kxdced  anything  bitt 
promising  on  that  particular  evening,  but  I  certainly 
had  no  intention  of  messing  up  my  penaanent-wava 
with  pond-weeds. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  8S 


"And  what  d*  you  ea^ect  to  get  out  ef  I 
inquired.   My  ictoess  didn't  teem  to  affwt  luiii. 

"I  expect  your  hf^  in  retttta*"  he  toldnnc 

I  looked  him  over,  from  top  to  toe. 

"Say,  what's  your  game,  anyway?"  I  demanded. 
I  think  he  even  chuckled  a  fittle. 

"It's  a  most  unusual  game,  I'fi  acknowkdg^"  was 
his  retort  "And  it  offcArs  you  a  chance  for  a  moat 
unusual  reward." 

*ln  ^  world,  or  the  next?"  I  inquhnd. 

"The  one  we  still  ooctsq^r  i*  ^  only  one  we  need 
take  into  our  active  consideration,"  he  velorted,  wi& 
a  touch  of  tartness. 

"And  what  shape  win  the  reward  take?"  I  pur- 
sued, still  trying  to  size  hhn  tqn  I  noticed,  il  lii 
took  off  his  hat  in  his  excited  sotemnity,  tint  m 
fringe  of  silvery  hair  ringed  his  bald  Uttie  head, 
giving  him  the  distuiinng  and  altogether  incongru^ 
ous  effect  of  wearing  a  halo.  At  first  sig^t  it  made 
him  look  saintly.  But  at  a  second  glance  it  aeemed 
simply  to  makt  him  foolish,  for  there  was  of 
the  stained-glass-window  effect  about  tiw  €Ke  of 
that  old  fox  with  the  scheming  eyes.  His  tiiin  lips, 
puckered  close  to  his  teeth  as  though  he  were  for- 
ever holdit^  pins  in  his  mouth,  even  had  a  touch 
of  cruelty  about  them. 


86      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"What  shape  will  the  reward  take?**  I  repeated. 

"Any  shape  you  may  desire,"  he  finally  replied. 

"Well,  when  I  work  I  usually  work  for  money  I" 

"Then  money  it  shall  be,"  was  his  prompt  reply. 
"The  question  is,  what  amount  would  you  expect 
for  a  couple  of  hours  of  work?" 

"But  what  kind  of  work?"  I  repeated. 

He  hesitated  for  a  moment.  His  ferrety  eyes 
grew  narrower. 

"The  attestuiv  of  a  document,"  he  explained,  with 
an  effort  at  a  shrug,  as  though  to  intimate  that  all 
»uch  details  were  insignificant. 

"Attesting?  What  do  you  mean  by  attesting?" 
I  promptly  inquired. 

"Well,  perhaps  the  signing  of  a  docmnent  would 
cover  the  case  better,"  he  meekly  explained. 

"But  what  good  would  my  name  be  on  any  such 
document?"  I  demanded. 

"None  whatever,"  he  acknowledged.  "So  it  may 
be  necessary  for  you  to  use  a  name  not  your  own." 

He  waited,  to  make  sure  what  effect  this  would 
have  on  me.  And  I  began  to  see  light. 

"Say,  mister,  my  middle  name  is  Jeremiah  when 
it  comes  to  putting  one  over  on  the  penal  code." 

"But  this  wouMa't  be  forgery,"  he  cahnly 
drained. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  87 


"Why  not?" 

"Because  you  wouM  rttify  be  the  owner  ol  the 
signature  you  might  mer  he  ha4  the  bmtennfw 
to  try  to  tell  me. 

"I'd  be  the  owner,  you  say,  of  eomdxxfy  dee'f 
^gnature?"  I  snorted. 

"For  the  time  being,  et  kiit,**  he  ennfwnrfd. 

"Might  I,  now  I  And  wo«ddn*t  eve.  tint  he  what 
you'd  call  impersonation?" 

*1t  might  be  caUed  that" 

"And  what  would  save  m  from  getthig  fai  Dutch, 
doing  a  stunt  like  that?"  I  asked,  trying  to  let  hha 
see,  by  my  talk,  that  I  wen't  the  hunfakm  he 
have  taken  me  for. 

''You  would,"  was  his  reply.  He  had  Ut  nerve, 
that  old  codger,  and  I  take  off  nqr  htf  to  any  man 
with  nerve. 

''How?" 

"By  acting  as  the  clever  young  woman  yon  are?" 

"I  guess  I'm  not  so  dcver,  or  I  wouldn't  be  out  of 
a  job,"  I  told  him,  as  certain  events  of  that 
noon  suddenly  flashed  back  on  my  mind. 

"It  will  be  a  long  time  before  you  win  need 
another,"  he  cahnly  informed  me. 

"Why?" 

"Because  you  will  be  so  well  paid  for  this  onef 


88      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


he  explained,  with  all  the  placidity  of  a  floor-boss 
to  a  factory  hand.  Then  he  moved  forward  a  little, 
w>h  a  sign  for  me  to  follow.  "Will  you  be  so  good 
as  to  walk  beside  me,  toward  the  east  here,"  he  went 
on  in  a  lowered  voice.  "For  I  preceivc  a  stranger 
approaching.  And  this  is  a  case  where  caution  is 
of  great  value." 

Absurd  as  the  whole  thing  was,  I  was  beginning 
to  be  interested.  So  I  swung  in  beside  him  as  we 
moved  on  down  the  quiet  canyon  of  the  twilit  side 
street.  He  kept  walking  faster  and  faster,  until  it 
took  an  effort  for  me  to  keep  up  with  him. 

"What  is  this,  anyway?"  I  finally  inquired.  "A 
marathon  or  a  free-for-all?" 

"Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  little  old 
geeser,  pulling  up.  "I  must  have  been  thinking  of 
other  things !" 

We  were  walking  eastward  r^.own  a  side  street  that 
was  nil  Indiana  limestone,  and  swell-front  The 
neighborhood,  I  could  see,  was  what  Bud  would 
have  called  a  cufF-shooter  colony.  I  could  also  see 
that  the  little  two-legged  rat  was  heading  for  his 
lair,  wherever  that  might  be,  and  not  just  meander- 
ing along  to  kill  time.  And  I  resented  the  fact  that 
I  was  following  him  as  nwek  as  a  Froich  fwodle 
on  a  riUl>on4eash. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  89 


**What  arc  wc  steering  for,  anyway?"  I  asked 
him. 

"For  a  place  where  we  can  talk  this  out  In  quiet- 
ness," was  his  reply.  I  came  to  a  stop.  That  was 
the  second  time,  within  the  last  few  hours,  that  I 
had  experienced  a  designing  man  advocating  the 
advantages  of  quietude.  And  solitude  of  that  sort 
held  no  charm  for  me. 

"We  can  talk  it  out  right  here.  But  about  the 
only  thing  that  can  talk  with  me  is  kudos,  known 
to  the  mob  as  money !" 

I  found  it  easier  to  talk  to  him  in  the  lingo  of  the 
tmderworld,  for  the  situation  seemed  to  smack  more 
of  the  Eighth  Ward  than  of  Upper  Fifth  Avenue. 

His  ferrety  little  face  lightened  with  comprehen- 
sion. Then  he  studied  my  own  face,  critically,  as 
though  he  were  making  some  final  decision  as  to 
whether  or  not  I  was  going  to  fill  the  bill.  The 
result  of  that  scrutiny  seemed  a  satisfactory  one. 

"Then  the  matter  is  easily  settled,"  he  announced. 
"Would  five  hundred  dollars  seem  reasonable  for 
your  hour  or  two  of  quite  leisurely  activity?" 

I  was  staggered,  but  I  tried  not  to  show  it.  It 
was,  in  fact,  my  turn  to  shrug. 

"That's  got  to  include  sk^er  and  firsl-datt  fan 
to  Frisco/'  I  amen  ied. 


90      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


The  little  old  man's  face  positively  beamed  at 
this. 

"Five  hundred  dollars  with  fare  and  Pulhnaa 
berth  to  San  Francisco  "  he  agreed.  "Or  say  six 
faundre-'  dollars  in  cash,  if  you'd  prefer  it  that  way." 

"Ir  jti  sounds  good/'  I  announced,  blinking  at 
him  with  bland  expectancy.  But  he  intended  to 
nail  me  down  before  I  could  hit  the  pay-car.  And 
the  thought  that  I  was  eager  to  fly  on  to  Frisco 
had  given  him  grea'  tisfaction.  That  was  a  point 
which  did  not  altogether  escape  me. 

"We'll  just  step  in  here,  where  we  can  talk  things 
over  quietly,"  he  explained,  as  smooth  as  oil.  He 
swung  me  about  into  the  side  entrance  of  a  marble 
corniced  mansion  that  looked  like  the  home  of  a 
Pittsburgh  millionaire.  It  was  a  palace,  ^  .  r  i  %iit 
a  palace  with  a  sour-map,  for  every  blina  -own 
and  every  curtain  drawn.  There  was  not  a  sign  of 
life  in  all  that  house-front. 

But  the  little  old  ferret  whipped  out  a  pass-key 
and  ushered  me  in  through  a  narrow  oak  door  with 
heavy  scrolled  hinges.  He  touched  a  button  and  a 
light  showed.  Then  he  turned  and  relocked  the 
door,  this  time  by  sliding  a  Ruskin  bronze  bolt. 
But  still  not  a  sign  of  life  showed  in  that  house. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  91 


iuw  A  w>»  Dcpnnmy  to  get  s  coui  irannQr  iwcniwi 
ifnofi&t  of  both  die  ttfcct  md  tfio  numlnf  <^ 

nOtlW  IMt  i  Ota  entereO.  0tRiCMCKMQIOIttQ|pl% 

and  we  tlie  pant  out,  ^iduitever  it  might  proft  to 
be. 

"This  way,"  mid  the  little  old  man  at  my  lid^ 
•winging  open  a  door. 

I  let  him  go  first  I  had  my  Meond  wind  of 
courage  by  this  time,  and  somnriiere  just  bdimd 
my  frontal  txm  cnrioai^  was  burning  Uke  a  hci4- 
light.  I  e¥en  forgot  aboot  being  hungry.  For  m 
(rtronger  appetite  had  asserted  itsdf.  I  eoidd  hev 
the  li|^  bemg  switdied  On.  And  I  was  able  to 
smile  as  I  stepped  into  tiie  room. 

The  ferrety  little  eyes  rq^arded  me  w^  a  sort 
of  irtttdions  satisfaction. 

"You've  got  grit,"  announced  ray  guide,  rubbing 
his  boigr  old  hands  together. 

"Sure  I've  got  giit,"  I  c^nly  acknowledged,  "or 
I  wouldn't  fall  for  a  Black  Hand  frame-up  Vkt 
thisr 

He  chndcled  and  wheezed  at  that  BptcA  of  mine. 
But  there  was  no  mirth  in  his  langh. 

"My  dotr  young  lady,  thii»  »  anything  but  what 


92      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


yoa  hKf  deiifiMtad  iL  It  i«,  on  Hm  oootnuy,  a 
moycment  that  it  tmntiilly  beneioknt  Muntii^y 

ti  ■«i«iii-il«nf  " 
DChSVCNCIh* 

Thaf  •  what  Ty  been  waiting  to  hear  about,"  X 
toM  him,  ftaring  aroond  the  room.  Tb^  went  no 
pikers,  the  people  who'd  fumiihed  that  room.  It 
had  a  Behtsoo  ataga-ectthig  an  to  the  Cammenbert 
And  if  the  didn't  peter  out  as  one  went  upward,  . 
that  mansion  was  sore  the  abode  of  some  fine  old 
mahogany  and  teak-wood  I 

My  guide  waved  me  into  a  chair.  Imadenqpsdf 
comfortable,  watdnng  him  as  he  seratdwd  his  bony 
forehead  with  the  tip  of  his  forefinger.  He  was 
getting  ready,  apparently,  for  his  high  dive. 

"You  are  an  inteUigent  girl,",  be  said,  speaking 
now,  as  he  had  done  before,  in  a  carefnU^  lowered 
voice.  1  saw  U»t>  at  the  first  i^anoe.  And  I  also 
saw  that  you  were  a  gM  who  couki  be  tntsted.  So 
I  might  say  that  the  most  difficult  part  of  yoisr 
work,  to-night,  will  sin^y  be  keeping  your  mouth 
shut" 

"I  thank  you  for  those  kind  words,"  I  said,  dearly 
puzzling  htm  a  little  by  my  careless  grm.  "And  I 
guess  I  understand  about  keeping  tl^  Ud  on.  Bat 
I'd  like  to  und«sta^  about  ibt  t^B-Uasi^* 

"You  mean  about  what  you  are  eiqpected  to  do?" 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  M 


*ExicUyr 

'^e  merely  want  you  to  go  to  bed  and  rest--* 
rest  at  though  you  were  in  your  own  home/'  he 
announced,  washing  his  hands  with  invisible  so^k 

"And  then  what?" 

The  shrewd  old  eyes  studied  me  closely. 

**You  see,  you  are  a  tired  girl,  very  tired!  A 
doctor,  one  of  the  best  doctors  in 'New  York,  will 
be  here  to  make  you  comfortable.  Then  a  docu- 
ment will  be  brought  to  you  to  sign.  You  will  do 
this,  and  before  midnight  a  closed  carriage  will  take 
you  to  the  Grand  Central  Station,  you  and  your  six 
hundred  dollars." 

T  tried  to  put  this  all  in  order,  at  the  back  of  my 
head. 

"And  what  name  must  I  sign  to  that  document?" 
I  inquired. 

For  nearly  a  second  or  two  the  old  maii  hesitated. 

"Clarissa  Rhinelander  Bartlett,"  he  said. 

He  watched  my  face  intently.  A  look  of  relief 
crept  into  his  eyes  when  he  realized  that  the  name 
meant  nothing  to  me.  He  even  began  to  wash  his 
hands  again  with  that  invisible  soap  of  his. 
'  "And  who  is  this  Clarissa  Rhinelander  Bartlett?" 
I  asked.  And  still  again  the  shifty-eyed  old  rat 
hesitated  lor  a  moment  or  two. 


94      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"She  is  the  owner  of  this  Immm,"  ht  tnSfy 

acknowledged. 
"And  why  should  I  be  asked  to  lorfe  btr  namer 

was  my  next  question. 

He  raised  one  hand,  reprovingly,  and  blbiked  at 
me  over  the  ends  of  his  fingers.  My  Hit  of  the 
word  "forge"  seemed  to  shock  him  a  fittle.  Ha 
fumbled  for  a  moment  or  two  in  his  podiat  Then 
he  produced  a  folded  slip  of  paper. 

"I  have  here,"  he  said,  as  he  unfolded  iSm  paper, 
"a  duly  executed  power  of  attorney,  permitting  yo« 
to  exercise  that  right  of  signature." 

I  had  to  hold  my  mouth  straight  But  I  looked 
the  document  over  carefully  as  he  held  it  up  to  me. 
He  might  have  fooled  a  scvcn-ycar-old  chiM  widi 
that  trumped-up  blind.  But  as  I  had  said  before,  my 
middle  name  was  Jeremiah  with  that  old  rogue. 

"But  I  am  not  Margaret  Hueffer,  and  this  power 
of  attorney  has  been  made  out  to  her/'  I  blandly 
protested. 

He  smiled  mirthlessly,  though  triumphantly. 

"But  notice  the  words  'or  bearer.*  Margaret 
Hueffer  or  bearer  1  And  clearly  you  will  be  the 
bearer.  So  that,  my  dear  young  lady,  makes  every- 
thing plain  sailing  for  you,  perfectly  plain  sailing. 
But  this  it  not  the  point  The  point  is  in  the  signa- 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  95 


tore  itielf.  I  meaa  to  My—well  tr  tht  iact  iib 
or  rather,  the  quettion  is,  can  you  writt  a  nmoo* 
ably  convincing  copy  of  that  tignatnre?^ 

I  leaned  over  the  paper  again,  to  hide  my  faet 
from  hit  cork-screw  little  eyes.  The  tkuatioa,  at 
every  'step,  was  getting  more  ^  ill  nofe  inttr* 
esting. 

"Yes,  I  could  do  ihat  mnieto  a  turn,"  I  admitted. 
"But  five  or  ten  minntcs'  practise  would  make  it 
safer,  I  suppose." 

He  wagged  his  bony  head  at  my  sagacity. 

"The  fact  of  your  ilfaiess,  of  course,  will  males 
the  situation  a  very  much  easier  one  to  handle.  A 
dying  woman,  you  see,  doesn't  always  write  copper- 
plate." 

I  sat  straigli  >p. 

"So  I'm  a  dying  woman,  am  I?"  I  asked,  staring 
him  stt  'pht  in  the  eye. 

"You  i^rt  not,  of  course,"  he  explained,  **but  the 
woman  you  are  acting  for  may  safely  be  presumed 
to  be  in  that  condition." 

"And  where  is  that  woman?" 

"Right  here  in  this  house." 

"Then  why  can't  she  sign  her  own  papers?** 

Still  again  the  barricaded  look  came  in  his  shif^ 
little  eyes. 


96       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"She  it  not  In  a  position  to,"  he  ntd.  I  saw  hit 
jaws  set  Hke  a  mst-cradcer.  Btrt  I  didn't  think  nnidi 
about  his  jaws,  at  the  monMnt,  for  I  was  biisjr  put- 
tit^twoandtwotogethtf.  It  tode  me  scmie  time  to 
woric  out  that  little  man.  But  I  did  nqr  best  to  get 
it  straight 

'•You  mean  Clarissa  Bartlett  is  lying  up-stairs 
in  bed,  on  the  pcmit  of  death,  and  tiliat  Am  sinqily 
refuses  to  ngn  tiie  will  you  want  her  to!" 

He  sat  there  Uinking.  Then  he  took  his  turn  at 
looking  me  sqtmre  in  tiie  eye. 

"My  dear  young  lady,  you  are  clever  beyond  your 
yrorsl  You  haire  phunly  seen  much  of  the  wo^ 
and  it  hu  brought  yaa  ynadcxn." 

Tm  not  sndi  a  wise  baby,*"  I  flippantly  inter- 
rupted. 

**Yott  are  nic»e  tiian  wise;  you  are  ^ver,"  he 
protested.  "And  the  crown  of  devemess  is  the 
acquisiti<ni  of  its  material  rewards." 

••Wdl,  that's  what  I'm  after,"  was  my  next  mock- 
flippant  retort 

''Precisely,"  he  said,  "and  that  is  a  question  which 
we  may  as  wdl  settk  now,  without  further  loss  of 
time." 

I  watched  him  as  he  took  a  pltunp  and  shiny  bill- 
fold from  his  inner  breast  pocket.  Then  he  slowly 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  97 


and  carefully  counted  out  six  oiw4iundred<d<dUr 
bsnk^iotcs. 

I  looked  at  Uiem  hard,  for  it's  addom  in  thb  life 
diat  money,  real  money,  conies  to  yoo  as  at  tiiat 
moment  it  aeemed  to  be  coming  to  me.  I  knew 
enough  of  the  life  of  the  wild  to  know  that  it  sel- 
dom dealt  in  such  things.  The  thnber-wtdves  of  the 
underworld  were  always  ready  enough  to  pass  cMit 
promises;  they  were  alwiqrs  ready  to  slip  the  g3ded 
brick  into  your  unsuspecting  mitt  They  were 
always  long  on  pretensions  and  promises,  but  always 
diort  on  performaroes.  Yet  htn  was  a  little  old 
scoundrd  of  tiie  first  water  actually  flagging  me 
with  real  numey.  He  was  flaunting  it  openly  in  my 
hot.  And  that  was  enou^  to  ballyhoo  aloud  to  the 
workt  that  the  case  was  a  most  exccptkmal  oat. 

"Six  hundred  dollars,*'  the  little  ok!  codger 
repeated,  as  solemn  as  an  owl,  as  he  lumded  the  fix 
bank-notes  over  to  me. 

I  took  them  without  a  smile.  Then  I  counted 
them  and  still  again  made  sure  they  weren't  stage- 
money,  and  then  badced  discreetly  away.  I  did  this 
for  the  purpose  of  stowing  that  windfall  deep  down 
in  my  stocking  top. 

The  little  old  rat,  while  I  was  doing  this,  stared 
pointedly  up  at  the  ceiling,  with  his  clustered  finger- 


96       THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


tipt  rather  futidkmdjr  hM  over  his  Iqw.  That 
lisle-thread  national  baidc  was  plainly  tanethiof 
quite  new  to  him. 

The  next  moment,  however,  I  looked  vp  at  htm 
sharply.  He  had  not  been  a*  emharrasscd,  I  dis- 
covered, as  I  had  imagined. 

"Why  did  yon  ring  that  beflr*  I  demandrd,  for 
with  all  that  outward  aur  of  flippancy  I  was  mwardly 
as  nervous  as  a  cat  in  a  strange  garret  And  I  had 
seen  him  quietly  reach  out  and  touch  a  push-button. 

"Because  we  haven't  a  great  deal  of  time  to  waste, 
young  lady,"  was  his  placid  enough  response. 

But  I  had  no  chance  to  question  Um  as  to  the 
cause  of  his  hurry,  for  at  that  moment  an  ii^rrup' 
tion  came.  It  came  in  the  f Mta  of  a  footman,  or 
perhaps  it  was  a  butler,  who  silentfy  and  qmetiy 
opmtd  the  dow  in  frcmt  of  me.  Never,  even  on 
the  stage,  had  I  ever  dapped  eyes  on  anything  like 
that  figure.  He  remhided  me  of  a  hwnan  peacodc. 
He  was  arrayed  in  a  daret-odored  coat  and  knee- 
breeches,  with  a  silk  waistcoat  and  white  stockings 
and  pumps.  There  were  monogramed  iMtal  buttons 
all  over  the  coat  and  vest,  and  next  to  a  drcus-tot 
he  was  the  most  magnificent  thmg  that  ever  mofvei 
through  life. 

But  he  seemed  to  take  no  joy  in  all  that  glory,  for 


THE  HOUSE  OF  mmiGUE  99 

was  M  devoid  ol  expKitioii  M  a  aiik.  Hsviog 

come  to  attentioa,  and  havinf  fixed  his  on  ^ 
empty  an*  somewhere  about  the  center  of  the  rooin, 
I  lealized  that  tiiis  walldi^  crimson-faniWer  "wm 
abonfc  to  broth  into  hxmmn  utterance.  Before  he 
had  time  for  tiiat»  however,  he  was  bunted  bod^ 
aside  bf  a  Uttk  old  man  ht  blade,  who  hobfakd 
petuhwi^'Oit  into  the  room  md  dirsded  a  ahafciwn 
tfwi  accusatorr  finaer  at  the  little  aid  man  in  bfaKfc 
ahcai^  there. 

"W^  in  damnatkjo,  sir,  idioidd  I  be  waiting 
lilw^  this?**  i^>ft»f«*#iid  t^»e  newtwww  ftt  a  thftt  tqiwalk 
of  a  voice  tiMi  raninded  me  of  a  whml  faa#r  in  seed 
ol(»L  ft  was  a  dmmer  voice  even  than  the  odier*a, 
tho«^  those  tiro  strai^^  ^wes  had  so  oMidi  m 
cotttssoK  ^Hit  I  im^an^^f^  jfcodc  ^btttt  to  be  bsodwiw*' 
The  nencomer,  however,  had  a  touch  of  brown  in 
Us  vahe-e^i,  Instead  of  reminding  n»  of  a  weaasi, 
he  rsmiwded  me  more  of  a  dimramli;  or  a  red  SQidr* 
reu  csW'  iSHa  ms  mroiM '  waa  HBore  seiNMiOHS  wan 

KS*.  t»M  i< !>■■*■   ttim  Imnrlint         aliiwililaM  immmm-  cmmw  . 

rower,  ana  ms  nearuig  seemeo  Daa,  zor  mm  tm  j 
to  tim^  I  notked,  he  kept  cupping  his  leifc  haad 
bsUad  his  ear,  as  though  strafoing  to  catch  vM 
was  bcH^  said  to  him. 


100     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Iwfk  at  me?"  adnd  tiie  oto  old  nta,  wHii 
a  good  deal  of  beat  ''What  have  I  done  to  keep 
you  waiting?" 

The  other  old  atitocrat  gave  an  in^patiettt  nu^  of 
his  fingers* 

"But,  gad,  sir,  thejr're  all  here— ^  here  like  a 
pidc  of  Uk>od'4iotind8  sniffing  abotst  the  trail  t" 

"Where  have  you  got  'em?" 

"How's  that  r*  demanded  the  other,  with  his  hand 
bdiind  his  ear. 

"I  say  whm  have  you  got  'em?"  ihoiited  his 
toother. 

"In  tile  big  drawing-room — herded  there  ISbe  hmt- 
zards  on  a  housetopf 

"I  know,  I  know,"  was  the  other's  half-impatieirt 
retort  as  he  tmned  bade  to  me.  But  he  did  not 
aipeakt  f en*  as  1m  was  about  to  do  so  still  anotiier 
figure  hurrkdly  stq)ped  into  the  room.  He  stopped 
short  as  he  saw  me.  It  was  plain  he  had  not  counted 
on  my  presence  there. 

"Well,  Doctor?"  snapped  oitt  the  little  man  beside 
me.  And  the  othtf  litUe  man,  with  his  head  on  one 
side,  stood  with  copped  hand  to  catdi  what  might 
itiot  piacfc 

The  man  who  had  been  addressed  as  doctor,  I 
noticed,  was  a  good  six  feet  in  height  and  built  on 


THE  HOUSE        IMTRKiim  IC^ 


the  massive  lines  of  a  well-fed  pork-butcher.  His 
face  wab  blond  and  fat  and  his  rather  watery  gray- 
blue  eyes  '.weren't  the  kind  you'd  want  to  trust  in  the 
dark.  His  forehead  was  wet  with  perspiration,  and 
he  was  breathing  hard,  as  though  he  had  been  run- 
nii^  and  had  no  love  for  t  ,  game.  With  a  quick 
gesture  of  his  huge  arms  he  motioned  away  the 
.aimson-rambler  butler  ..no  had  stalked  into  the 
room  after  him.  Then,  still  staring  at  me,  he  hur- 
riedly mopped  his  face  with  a  large  handkerchief. 

"Well?"  repeated  the  old  weasel  at  my  side,  as  the 
latest  arrival  stood  there  stru^Ung  to  recover  his 
faceath* 

'♦Ye*— well?"  echoed  the  oM  red  squirrel  at  the 
other  end  of  the  room. 

"Quick,  both  of  you,"  said  the  doctor,  making  a 
motkm  for  them  to  withdraw  beyond  the  still  open 
door. 

"But  what's  happened,  what's  wrong?"  demanded 
the  brisker  of  the  two  did  brothers.  For  I  was  sure 
by  this  time  that  they  were  broth  -s.  The  scrawnier 
one  with  the  htmched-up  shout  I  noticed,^  had 
■S^ped  over  to  the  second  door  through  which  I  had 
CBlerad  ^  raoo.  I  saw  him  lock  that  door  and 
qiiie%  podm  Oie  key.  And  I  remembered  that  it 
miffeed  sty  only  vinble  ftvemie  ol  esoft. 


102     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"Come  outside,"  coiniranded  the  doctor.  He  wat 
already  backing  ofJ  toward  the  still  open  door.  The 
two  little  old  men  followed  him,  with  crealdng  agil- 
ity, Hke  two  rusty  old  crows  on  the  wing. 

I  sat  there  with  my  knees  c  ossed  as  one  of  the 
old  conspirators  reached  back  and  swung  the  door 
shut.  But  the  moment  this  closed  door  stood  betw^n 
me  and  that  mysterious  trio  I  darted  acrott  tbe 
room  and  got  an  ear  -  gainst  the  panel. 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  I  heard  in  the  thin  falsetto  of 
a  half-querulous  resentment. 

"Bartlett,  it's  too  latel"  was  the  other  man's 
answer.  It  was  said  in  little  more  than  a  husky 
whisper,  but  I  could  hear  it  plainly  enough,  for  it 
seemed  to  come  with  the  weight  of  a  thundor-d^k 

"Too  late?  Why  too  late?"  queried  the  sqneaUw 
voice. 

"Became  skt  it  dtodt*  was  the  other  ma's 


CHAPTER  FIVE 


AS  I  •moA  milk  toy  hot  pmwd  Art  ifiiBit 
XjLa  ptnd  of  tint  lafdwood  door  a  ililfer  of 
ejpcitementwtiittooqi^ttyitoopB^bod^  I  M 
rttwnfcM  acRMi  a  Ugftr  aovcoKiit  tina  I  M 
dfcmedcrf.  And  flat  mowwaeiit  hid  tripen  on  a 
torn  whk&  was  pidiilr  iHgitrtef  to  my  two  old 
frteadtmnatyUadL  For  c?eB  tinoait^  aqr  door- 
paad  7  ^ooid  led  die^eMtiait  ftfwiE^m  te^ 
lor  a  laoimBt,  ac  ^  niatthw  doder't  tadoo^ 

*^  diat  gM  caa't  be.dowir  ^laverbq^-  pro- 
tested one  of  ^  dd  brothert.  "Whj,  she  m  as 
dive  as  I  aao*  fofty  fl^Hte  agor 

'*Moi«  so,  pfdbJbiy,"  amended  ^  other  hrete 
tartly.  "For  nster'l  of  gaspisg  over  thia-^^ 
calamity,  Wd  belter  uy  to  find  otrt  wfaafa  best  to 
be  done  f  *  - 

Thb  was  foflowed  by  a  momei^  or  two  of 

«^IVho  knows  i&oitt  tldsr  demradsd  tiw  suae 

103 


104     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


voice  that  had  spoken  last.  I  knew  it  was  tfie  fittfe 
old  man  who  had  foUowed  me  Uirot^  the  city. 

"Nobody  but  the  mme— Fm  poiitive  of  thtt^** 
was  the  doctor's  answer. 

Again  there  was  a  silence. 

"If  Brother  Ezra  will  take  a  suggestkm  from 
me,"  began  one  of  the  piping-vdced  old  eomfinr 
tors.  But  Brother  Ezra  shut  him  off  dwrt 

"Please  do  not  croak  at  me,  Enodi,  wiieii  Fm 
trying  to  think."  And  I  conM  hear  him  abstract- 
edly and  meditatively  repeat  that  fimd  pluase :  T17- 
ing  to  think— trying  to  think." 

"But  we  haven't  got  time  for  Ainkiiigi''  brain  in 
ibt  fat  doctor.  I  could  hear  tfie  qui^  aad  decisive 
snapping  of  a  finger-kntidde. 

"You're  ri^t,  Kltnger,  you're  r^"  amioimced 
the  old  boy  whose  name  seemed  to  be  Ezra.  **BvA 
we're  going  to  take  tune  to  act  And  k's  stifl  not 
too  late  for  that  r 
"But  a  dead  woman  can't—** 
"Never  mind  that,"  I  heaid  die  tiifamer  voice 
retort  "It's  the  Kve  woman  we've  got  to  count 
on. 

"Do  you  mean  that  baby-ficed  th^  you've  gol 
in  there?"  demanded  the  some«diat  inetec^kitts  Doo> 
tor  Klinger. 


THE  HOUSE  09  IliTia0UB  Ktf 


1  nNMi  that  baby-face  1"  was  the  old  man's  deter- 
ntned  fctort  "For  this  thing  hat  go^  to  gQ 
thfoai^r 

"Iff  gone  throughl"  gfoond  out  the  heavier 

TOWS* 

"Not  the  way  I  intend  it  to,"  shrilly  corrected 
tiw  other.  "And  if  the  girl's  dead  the  first  thing 
we've  got  to  do  if  to  get  htr  out  ol  that  bcdl" 

Utrf  Whor 

**The  hody,  of  coorter 

**Bttt  get  it  wherer  demndeil  the  other,  appw- 
ently  fltitt  daaed. 

"Why,  out  of  ^iht,  i^'etaiia*  on  the  roof,  anr 
wherer 

<*Bafchow  ii  thi«  gDh«  to  help  us?" 

That  itodgy  doctor,  h  waa  plain  to  tee,  had  a 
tendency  to  tfsvei  fcgr  MgMi^ 

•'msfi  if  that  Ledwidge  woman  m  he  trusted, 
if s  going  to  do  more  tei  he^  OS.  IfsfMii  lP 
save  the  di^  lor  na." 

^d  trust  ^  tflted  mtrse  whh  anything,-' 
aimoanoed  the  doctor.  ^Sha'a  hesn  on  oor  side 
f rom  Oie  flwnienl  ^  itsfped  hito  tiiis  house.** 

"We^  seed  her  ^lertb^,  im»dcd  ^  Me  old 
ina!svoioGu  "W«  ou^l  nslee  n  dead  wooMn  vrito 
her  naiat.  Tha^a  perleetfy  tree.  1^  if  7W*ns 


t06     THS  HOUSB  OF  INTIUGUE 


foing  to  hat«  A  tMtolt  lor  a  lidi  WMna,  jott  iniy 
MwdlliswAMtalilaliloratedoat.  Andt^Mrt't 
what  we're  going  to  fetf 

Tbe  eacBoe  dMt  ioikmwl  M  at  to  ialir  tiwt  tlw 
thiwoltimimtfaiiikinf tiiisovcr.  Anditmait 
have  been  a  vtxy  intewnHnf  nbject  Ibr  tfaoagltt. 
Bat  oertaia  inlereaett  tad  atpMli  ^  it  |^  bm  a 
qnvwiy  Mi^f  in  tht  f^gkxi  of  tiw  aiidftff. 

"Jmlt  a  moment,  vatfl  I  tmHtkk  mtm<tt  k 
fettisf  inqoisithre.  Joita— " 

lada^waitlormofc. 

By  the  time  ^  old  wcMd  had  the  door  ofMO  I 
was  onoe  mon  tittiaf  fai  my  dmir,  with  my  kaeet 
CRMie(|»aadanidwrboiedloofcoaagriMe;  Icfta 
jFawaed  at  lit  poM  Ut  tiNieHiaiotd  head  in 
tiuoui^  tibt  upeaiag. 

'"Just  a  mooMBt  or  twob"  ht  pomd.  TInb  ht 
wagyed  hit  boBjr  bead  witfi  itt  tihuy  iMmi» 
wagfed  it  vigoron^and  appfovh^,  and  dmt  tbe 
door  afam.  But  intidt  of  Oret  ttoendt  I  had 
atcden  a  hatt  and  had  mjrear  haek  agite  ^  pttd. 

—lAad  get  htf  powdeted  1^  and  well  covafed  ia 
Oat  lonrtntler.  Yoor  Ltd«Hdgt  womm  ctn  heH» 

VOQ  OOk  ill  tillft.   Thun  tiawi  fhm  ft  Aim  ^irtmnA 

M  ihitt  tttlog  of  iMQgfj^ejwl  lMin»  the  whoit 
tribe  of  'em,  r^  iato  the  room.  Let  'tai  ji»  het. 


THB  HCHJss  or  nmiGUB  Mf 

if  tiH/vi  ioMixioattoNelier.  Let 'cm  stand  there 
iriOk  tiw  will  it  read  and  itgned  I  want  'cm  to 
tliiiiktli^MtktrcigBit  Let 'em  stare  tiMir  qF» 
out,  to  1««  M  they  iGCCp  their  distance  I" 

The  quaverx  old  voice  spoke  with  mch  bittemesc 
thai  I  wriniiod  the  about  me  tenporafity 
ihiitcfcd  a  fatnify  somewhat  divided  by  enmity. 
Bntlhad  tttdt  time  to  tiMcfthb  over,  for  the  chest- 

IMM  el  tiM  big  doctor  Met  noit  vtalid  tfamigii 

rBt^tmm^m^  OS  that  girl  at  pneh  •  that?" 
«W^vt  «»l  io  dttpcad  on  her  r 
«MnfiOBii«d»ldehio«crtha traces?  So^ 
porii«  iha  HMOa  •  fit  aad  triia  to        ti»  vMa 


*ynif  4kM  si^r 

"Akm  tm  j^  id  that  typa  wcM  And  wa'vi 

«*Biit  €Mit»  iiwM  inndbaf  her  b^  she  fol 
to  tfM  fon  tMl  eecncr.  He'a  tibisa  on 
YottkaowtfaataaweQaaldo.  And  we're  not  here 

hsafveOt'Of  ^Mnffi  ha  nwpsi  tlmi 


108     THE  ROUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


I  began  to  i«aliit  tliiit  I  iMd  ft  iwy  plMMiiit  IH^ 

time  ahead  of  me.  Bat  I  wm  man  ^"^rmt^  in 

what  I  was  hearing;  at  tint  moacnt*  tfum  is  wfnt 

I  waa  feeling  If  about  twaaty^fivt  hondrad  icy 

feet  began  to  make  a  Jaoob^t  bddtr  oat  of  ny 

ipinal  column,  I  didn't  gi-.e  chat  creepj  teaiatioa 

much  thought,  beyond  mrmising  that  I  was  getting 

hito  that  game  of  theirs  for  ke^  For  oulaida  tha 

door  their  talk  was  itifl  gohif  on,  and  I  want 
to  miss  any  mora  of  it  than  I  had  toi. 

"But  how  can  you  fool  tboae  paopla  on  tha  pokif 

Mott  of  them  murt  have  heard  that  other  girf  • 

yckt,  wad  toma  of  tea  muat  hava  known  it  for 

years." 

The  little  dd  weaad,  apparently,  was  not  to  be 
stumped  by  any  such  ohjectioos. 

"Well  have  our  woman  nMd^ff^whiiper,  do 
yott  understand?  She's  a  sick  girl  Her  voice  is 
gone.  Everything  aha  says,  every  word,  must  be  in 
a  whisper.  And  the  weaker  she  can  make  k  the 
betteiv-for  in  half  an  hour,  dow't  you  see^  that  girl's 
going  to  be  dead  r 

"Or  our  whole  pba's  gobg  to  be  deadr  hiter- 
polated  the  none  too  optimistic  docfea*. 

I  cottldnt  hd|p  meSdag,  as  I  stood  tiwiv,  that 
these  three  worOies  ware  aceeptiag  tiia  death  of  a 


THE  HOUSE  OF  IMTRIGUE  10ft 


lrtmrtMK5l  mouil  to  a  nolorift,  or  »  broken 
tMCoptoftfltNiiraav.  YttoMlMr  that  same  roof, 
withiii  tiw  lait  lew  a  InmB  Uie  had  foot 

ottt  and  aU  they  wtra  worrjriog  about  waa  how 
beat  to  fet  rid  of  the  remainal 

My  Aooflit^  howefor.  aooo  caaM  back  to  iiqw'^ 
for  ^ftraiife  trio  were  itiaiabhlliif  away  ^ 

other  tide  of  the  door. 
''And  hei^a  another  pofaH,"  I  could  hear  one  of 
old  men  lay.         noment  ^  thing  is  over 
you'd  better  give  tiiat  gift  the  needle.  Give  her 
enottfli  of  eoneUihig  to  keep  iNT  aader  lor  a  eonple 

of  hoiira.^ 

•^  whatl'  yondowkhherrfaivsiredthenae 
oloMdicine.  And  I  knew  tiiqr  wcia  referring  to 

me* 

<«We1t  get  her  out  of  tya  homa  and  etewed  awqr 
in  her  detfer  lor  ^  Weet  II  dnTa  ao  anxkMB  to 
travd,  we're  not  going  to  detail  her  Miyf 

''Why  coddn't  Uiu  Ledwidge  go  wi&  her— aa 
far  at  BttlUo,  at  any  rate— andnake  aae  ihe^a  not 

gdiog  to  4^os3ske  bade  and  stir  ^  tmAkc  lr«re? 

**She^a  not  lool  enoiqih  to  wade  bodi  into  tii& 
bon-fiierwaa  cuttle  old  wwid^fctrrt.  "And 


no     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


she's  too  small-innided  to  realiae  tfaoe't  seven  mil- 
lion dollars  mixed  vp  in  whafs  fotng  to  happen  r 

So  I  was  smallrminded,  was  I?  And  I  was  the 
sort  of  giii  iribo'd  goose-^tep  ftway  from  a  mystery 
that  was  tangM  np  with  seven  millions  in  moneyl 
And  I  was  to  be  ptil  casually  to  sleep  while  they 
carried  n^  off  the  field,  dead  to  the  wmid,  to  wake 
up  on  the  Wdverine  somewhere  west  of  the  Great 
Lakes!  Well,Idecided,if  I  wasg<»ngtodoallthat 
I  was  going  to  hand  myself  ^  surprise  of  my  evettt- 
fnlyounglife.  And  as  I  heard  a  final  muffled  direc- 
tion or  two,  and  a  hand  begin  to  turn  the  door4m6b^ 
I  scooted  badk  to  my  seat 

I  had  my  eyes  dosed  when  the  door  swung  open. 

'TMd  I  dream  it,  or  did  you  say  you  hadn't  any 
time  to  waste?"  I  blandly  inquired,  m  the  weasel- 
faced  ohi  man  ndled  beck  into  die  room.  And  I 
tried  to  kwk  as  tired  as  I  could. 

His  lips  were  parsed  up^  meditativdy,  as  he  stared 
at  me  wttb  empty  and  ruminative  eyes.  But  it  was 
only  for  a  momem  or  two. 

"We'll  be  busy  enough,  my  dear  yomig  faufy,  be- 
fore the  next  quarter  of  an  hour  is  gone.  But 
there's  one  pdnt  I  want  to  ingress  on  you  rigltt 
now.  If  you  have  raythinf  to  si^,  it  must  be  said 
before  you  leave  ti^  roomr 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  111 


I  tesented  liif  tone; 

•Tor  after.that,  remeniber,  I  mmt  no  toond  out 
of  you,  not  a  sound  beyond  »  wli^w  f 

His  wrinkled  old  face  took  on  an  expresskm  of 
ferocity  whidi  rather  sorprised  me.  Snail  as  ke 
was,  I  saw,  he  might  prove  abocA  one  part  capeicisn 
and  thr«c-parts  puff-a<bler.  And  I  stared  at  him 
with  widened  eyes  as  he  diook  a  lean  and  hony  fore- 
finger at  me.  But  I  was  cahner,  inwanfiy,  titan 
when  he  had  first  spoken  to  me  in  Central  Fisric. 

Then  you'd  better  give  me  a  tip  idKMt  what  yo» 
expect  me  to  whisper/'  I  vcBtnred.  "And  anodwr 
as  to  just  what  you're  expecting  from  me  mtywayr* 

He  stared  at  me,  once  more  in  a  sort  of  s^ent 
debate  with  himself. 

•There's  a  trained  nurse  np-atahrt  who^tt  i^end 
to  all  that,"  he  explained.  "A  mott  estimable  yoong 
woman!" 

''You  all  seem  to  be  thatf'  I  said,  MMtf  wet, 

"We  all  seem  to  be  which?"  he  bathed  baek  at 
me.  And  there  was  fire  in  his  qre 

•'What's  that  trained  nurse's  nsrae?"  I  wSMfy 
inquired,  remembering  my  part. 

•'Alicia  Ledwidge,  I  beUeve,"  he  tcM  nie»  as  he 
moved  toward  the  door. 


112     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


And  a  very  estimable  young  person,  indeed,  I 
inwardly  repeated— a  regular  young  lily-white  doe, 
to  be  acting  in  that  sort  of  company,  a  snowy  lamb- 
kin with  a  prune  in  her  pocket,  to  be  holding  out  in 
that  sort  of  house  I  But  I  was  compelled  to  keep 
my  thoughts  to  myself,  for  my  friend  the  weasel 
was  already  making  impatient  signs  for  me  to  fol- 
low him. 

He  first  looked  out  along  the  hall  (and  his  atti- 
tude was  startlingly  like  that  of  a  rodent  peering 
from  its  burrow),  apparently  to  make  sure  that  the 
coast  was  clear.  Then  he  led  me  to  an  aMtnmatir 
elevator  with  mother-of-pearl  buttons,  told  me  to 
step  inside,  and  sent  me  sailing  inward,  like  a  casb- 
bucket  in  a  department-store. 

When  the  door  opened-— and  I  noticed  that  it 
opened  of  itself— I  stepped  out  into  a  dream  of  a 
room  all  done  in  green,  with  hangings  and  curtains 
of  sea-green  faintly  threaded  with  silver.  It  had 
green  brocaded  chairs,  and  sconces  of  silver  set  in 
shields  of  paler  green.  It  made  me  hold  my  breath 
for  a  moment,  tor  I'd  never  seen  anything  Ukt  h  in 
every-day  Hfe  before.  There  was  both  ^andenr 
and  good  taste  there,  in  every  comer  oi  k,  and  k 
mMie  ^  motkn-picture  sett  of  Fifth  Avcaaeliaiiiet 


THE  HOUSE  OP  IKTiaGOS  US 


Uittrd  Men  look  like  pifcrfOMt.  And  this  wai  the 
fealtliii^. 

But  even  here  I  hftd  little  time  taking  things  in, 
for  at  about  iSxt  same  moment  that  I  stepped  from 
the  elevatcMT  a  wcxnan  in  the  iull  imiform  of  a 
tnuned  nurie  stepped  tibroogk  a  door  in  the  opposite 

waH 

I  kMked  her  over  with  agood  deal  of  cafe»  for  I 
felt  that  I  mii^  see  condderaUe  of  her,  befiofe  that 
night  was  over.  And  die,  too,  looked  me  over 
qmddy  and  sharply,  aMwui^  her  eyes  were  about 
as  nonrcomnnttat  as  anytfitnf  1*4  seen  for  aome 
time.  ^  was  not  as  young  a  woman  as  I  had 
expected.  And  tiie  moment  I  dipped  ^fct  on  her 
I  knew  tiwt  die  had  a  mind  of  her  own  and  a  hauit 
tiu^  oould  work  overthne  if  it  had  She  was  an 
hi^  or  two  taller  than  X  was,  and  BMdi  hetlef4oQfe> 
hig.  I  stqipose  it  was  her  uniferm  that  made  her 
seem  so  cod  and  calm  and  fidl  of  that  ckand^sp- 
actioa-«nd^v^at<omes-«ext  air  of  hers. 

*'Are  you  Miss  Ledwid^r  I  maildy  hMpdrsd. 

Her  nod      me  tint  dbe  was. 

"Wen,  I  was  sent  here  for  eertidn  woifc  whidi  X 
was  toM  yott  would  ei^kiitt  to  aM^"  I  anaoWMi; 

•Wat  is  your  namer      Mtoad.  She  apolM 


114     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


coolly,  and  with  a  note  of  authority.  But  there  was 
something  about  her  I  couldn't  help  Itldi^ 
'  "Baddie  Pretlow,"  I  told  her. 
*'And  you  have  no  idea  of  what  yoa  aie  to  do?" 
she  demanded. 

"Tue  main  point  seemed  to  be  for  me  to 
keep  my  mouth  shut!"  I  retorted.  For  one  short 
second  the  faintest  trace  of  a  smile  played  about  her 
clear-cut  lips. 

"I  believe  you  are  to  hi  a  patient  of  mine,"  she 
explained.   It  was  clear  that  they'd  also  impressed 
on  Alicia  Ledwidge  that  the  main  point  was  for  her 
to  keep  her  mouth  shut  So  I  decided  to  try  her  out 
"Excuse  me»  but  are  you  a  real  trained  nurse?** 
I  asked  her,  as  she  crossed  to  a  mahogany  table  <mi 
the  right.   She  stopped  and  looked  19  fukkly,  but 
there  was  no  change  in  her  manner. 
"Of  course,"  was  her  quiet  reply. 
She  seemed  the  right  sort,  that  woman,  and  for 
the  life  of  me  I  couldn't  place  her  in  that  bunch  of 
copperheads.  She  didn't  look  like  the  sort  of  woman 
who  could  be  on  their  side.  And  I'd  a  feeling  that 
she  was  the  sort  I'd  rather  have  on  toy  side. 

"And  M  a  patiei^  what  am  I  siqipoied  to  do?"  I 
inquired. 

"What  most  patients  da  Gotobedr 


THE  HOUSE  0^  mtRIGUE  US 

She  led  me  thr  ough  to  the  next  room,  all  done  ta 
yellow  brocade.  I'd  seen  enough  French  farces  to 
feel  sure  that  it  was  a  boud<nr.  And  it  was  a  beauti- 
ful room  to  be  in,  if  yoa  were  pCNUtive  as  to  jtuk 
when  and  how  you  were  <joing  to  get  out  of  it. 

"And  what  do  I  have  to  do  when  I  go  to  bed?" 
I  asked,  watching  Miss  Ledwidge  as  she  carried  in 
a  flesh-colored  nig^-gown  of  hand-emtmudefed 
crepe-de-diine  with  a  nmway  of  Frencb  knots  tSoog 
the  plasa  and  babj^nms  down  the  side  streets.  It 
was  a  dream  of  a  ntgfatte,  tile  sort  of  oobwebbgr  tfahif 
erery  woman  toves  to  slip  ii^  The  iwrse  nmst  have 
noticed  that  himgry  look  oa  my  £Me  as  I  stated  at 
it,  for  she  smiled  as  slw  noCkMied  lor  me  to  fst  off 
my  street  dudk 

"Honest  Injmi,  are  you  a  ptofessioiial  n»e?^ 
I  asked  her  still  again  as  I  hegati  to  ttaped. 

"Why  dKwkht't  I  be?^  sbe  parried,  as  die  moved 
over  to  the  ^rcss^^4abie^  ^vttbonk  modi  dtaw  of 

"WeS,  my  ilka  of  a  proMond  mne  la  ft 
Wotmw  ii^t  tiyiog  to  tttdse  food  fay  Mpii^ 
iteOiqriieed  hiipw  I  Uad  of       ^  Iht  as  a 
peiion  mcTB  fivu^  vsp  mtt  me  to  ov  !IRMb  fltt  an 
for  tfia  side  aiift  6e  Ml^ien.*  ' 


116     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


**Wcll?"  came  curtly  from  the  dressing-table. 

"Well,  I  can't  see  the  Carnegie  Fund  pinning  any 
medals  on  you  for  the  job  you've  taken  up  in  this 
particular  household,"  I  deliberately  announced,  as 
I  wormed  my  way  into  that  cobweb  of  crepe-de- 
chine.  The  smell  of  it  reminded  me  of  lilac-blos- 
soms over  a  clover-field.  By  the  time  I  had  emerged 
Miss  Ledwidge  had  turned  slowly  around  and  was 
staring  at  me. 

"Perhaps,"  she  slowly  shot  back  at  me,  "I'm  doing 
more  in  this  house  than  you  are  aware  of !" 

And  having  smashed  out  that  three-bagger  she 
once  more  gave  her  attention  to  the  cosmetic-jan 
on  the  dressing-table. 

"Perhaps  we  all  are !"  I  announced,  just  to  kaep 
her  from  being  too  contentedly  sure  of  her  ground. 

But  she  paid  no  attention  to  that  pin-prick.  She 
didn't  even  seem  interested.  And  still  again  I  had 
the  feeling  of  being  flat  against  a  brick  wall, 
when  it  came  to  tf)c  ooesti or  that  woman's  actual 
character. 

"You'll  have  to  take  off  those  shoes,"  she 
announced  as  she  rune  over  to  where  I  stood 
smooth,  ig  out  my  nightie.  And  off  they  came, 
though  I  stuck  to  my  stockings,  for  I  reinenibei«d 
that  I  had  my  six  bank-notes  cached  there. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  tXf 


•*yoa  art  tfiiiir  remarked  Mitt  Ledwidfe,  it  the 
motkmed  me  over  to  tile  dretsiiiff^able.  Andatl 
•at  tim  pnttiiig  on  tiie  whste-waah  she  handed  to 
me  I  ^  for  all  the  world  like  a  kading^-woman 
getting  ready  lor  a  first  ni|^  on  Broadway.  Irice- 
powdeitd  my  arms  and  shoulders  and  put  litde 
hoOcmt  ander  my  eyes  and  liquid-whiteoed  my  face 
and  softened  the  whole  effect  down  with  a  blendinf- 
bntsh* 

Then  I  stared  at  myself  in  tiie  dresser  mirfor.  I 
kx)ked  like  a  Bernhardt  in  the  fawt  act  of  Ca$mB€. 
I  was  the  sickest-lookfaig  scarecrow  that  ever 
esa^  Hnt  morgue.  And  when  that  filOe  old 
weasd  had  pkked  my  tug  of  bones,  I  hanm^ 
icnuokwl,  he  had  rar^  seleeted  sonwtiihig  to  suit 

his  own  ends. 
Then  I  suddenly  stopped  smOhig  at  mjpself.  For 

already  I  saw  I  was  irtnndblhig  mio  bmrlMi^ 

emanglements. 

I  fooked  around  just  in  time  to  hAcId  Miss  I«d^ 
widge  go  to  tiie  door  and  hattd  Of  dote,  ahoot 
ev^  blessed  rag  ai^  stit^  rd  worn  lito  tlwtr  hoiiB^ 
to  somebo<fy  waitmg  f  or  them  oat  hi  Ite 

I  was  out  of  that  dair  fa  one  jnmp.  Wm  fte 
liuiy  hi  the  Uue  and  vi^ite  m^lotm  barred  mg^ 

«*What  are  you  doing  with  those  dote  ^ 


n«     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUB 

»mer  Idcn»iided,ftaru:|rather.  But  ahe  imr 
trm  winced. 

"It  was  Mr.  Bartletfi  ordei^-  .he  quwUy 
explained.  ' 

'mat  do  I  care  for  Mr.  Bartlett't  orden?"  I 
exploded.  "I — " 

"But  Mr.  Bartlett's  ordtrs  are  usually  carried  out 
in  this  house,"  she  cut  in.  And  she  said  it  in  a  tone 
that  reminded  me  of  the  Wte  of  a  rat-trap. 

I  could  feel  a  hot  wave  go  over  me  and  by  the 
time  that  wave  had  cooled  off  I  could  see  what  their 
dodge  stood  for.  They  weren't  putting  aay  too 
much  faith  in  their  street-cat,  and  they  were  cottiiig 
her  claws  for  her.  They  were  t  «c  down  to 
that  house  until  they  got  ready  to  ..le  go.  They 
were  deciding  to  keep  me  a  prisoner  thetc^  mittl  I 
carried  out  what  they  intended  me  to  carry  out. 

But  if  they  thought  they  had  me  trapped,  by  any 
cheap  trick  like  that,  they  were  going  to  find  oni 
they'd  trapped  a  tertar. 

So  I  stood  there,  waiting  for  my  sense  of  humor 
to  come  back.  It  came,  but  it  came  by  frei^t 

"Tell  theia  to  be  sure  and  fumigate  'eml"  I 
•onounoed,  as  I  sat  down  in  front  of  tlie  dranagw 
t»W«*gtia  "That's  the pn)ccdu» a mort BeM.  I 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  119 

It  it  nmdi  safer,  you  Imow,  to  Iwve  tea  ool 
of  •ii^''  cxpbuncd  the  altofeliier  too  artfid  Udf 
in  the  n^form.  But  die  kept  Kratdrinf  me,  witfi  a 
nther  cnrioiM  loolc  in  her  eyes.  And  several  tioMS, 
later  on,  I  cattgfat  her  ttttdying  my  face,  when  she 
thought  I  wasn't  notidng  her.  Yetsonelfaiac  ahoat 
her  attitude,  an  the  while,  tended  to  make  me  tmoom- 
lortabk.  It  seemed  to  renund  ne  ^  I  was  no 
loilger  a  free  afent  And  I  w»  right  cnonijh  hi 
thiSfe  for  yoa  can't  go  ont  and  look  np  a  eop  w^wat 
eves  a  oorset*cover  onl 

I  was  Inst  ded^ng  tiiat  Td  hate  to  eai^aeer 
that  nigfat^s  adfentore  withoot  the  help  of  the  kw 
^Hien  Miss  Ledwii^  wiOi  a  touch  of  fanpatieiiee, 
reminded  me  thi^  my  he^oom  was  iU  rea^  and 
waiting. 

"Jnst  a  ndnater  I  responded,  as  soft  as  A, 
For  as  I  sat  there,  pretendmg  to  he  sniffing  the  lidat 
odor  of  ^^Msr  f  oadM^-M  ahont  dx  dotfatft  an  onBet 
—4oatmg  np  from  that  nii^itie  of  n^  I  decided  I 
wasnt  goi^  to  lie  down  in  die  Aaf«i  jnst  hecaase 
they  had  tiie  ^edc-rdn  over  tsy  nossw 

On  dreesing-taUe  stood  two  tafl  and  aatiqne- 
lookup  candlettidts  of  Sheffield  ptatCi  They  w^R 
very  handsome,  and  also  very  heavy.  Ench^^tm 
was  a  good  etghteoi  m^es  hi  hei|^ 


120     THE  HOUSE  OF  IimUGUE 


So  I  calmly  reached  over,  pulled  the  ivory  tinted 
candle  out  of  its  socket,  wiped  the  head  of  the 
candlestick  off  with  a  face  chamois  that  lay  on  the 
table-top,  and  meditatively  weighed  the  eohnmi  of 
metal  in  my  hand.  It  felt  the  way  a  we&4)a]aiioed 
bat  must  feel  to  a  league  player  wbea  he  plants  hit 
heels  down  beside  the  home-plate. 

"What  are  you  doing  with  that?"  fikfi  the 
startled  Miss  Ledwidge,  as  she  stepped  back  from 
the  open  door  to  see  what  had  been  kesp^  me. 

I  didn't  answer  her  for  a  moment,  for  my  atten- 
tion was  otherwise  engaged.  It  was  engaged  in 
recovering  from  the  rug  at  my  feet  a  fingerwring 
that  had  fallen  from  that  hollow  candkstidc  as  I  so 
menacingly  waved  it  up  and  down.  It  was  a 
remarkable  ring,  made  up  of  a  Urge-sised  pigeon- 
blood  ruby  surrounded  by  black  peeris.  That  it 
should  be  hidden  away  in  such  a  phuse  stavck  me  9$ 
odd.  So  I  slipped  it  on  my  finger,  stones  m,  ontfl 
I  had  a  better  chance  to  look  i:  over. 

"That,"  I  cahnly  explained  to  Mist  Ledwidge,  as 
I  took  up  my  candlestick  again,  "is  goi^  to  sti^ 
right  with  me  in  bed.  And  if  any  one  tries  to  wptmg 
any  second  little  surprise  mi  me,  I'm  going  to 
this  on  them/" 

That  trained  nurse  Uiu|^  openly,  for  the  first 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  121 


tint.  She  didat  wjbI  to^  ipptwBUy,  bat  ite 
cooldat  Im^  h.  And  wliilt  ifae  stepped  back  into 
tlie  odwr  room  afidii  I  liad  time  lor  a  look  at  mf 
rfaif  .  Ob  inside  of  it  I  found  an  inscription. 
It  said,  Tfon  Wcndjr,  Quristnas,  1912." 

That  **W«ndy"  jtu^ped  out  at  me  like  a  jacMn- 
tlie-boK.  It  was  not  a  couwnoit  nams^  and  tiie  oi^jr 
odier  tine  Td  em  iMid  of  it,  ootside  <^  Wead^ 
Wasfabum,  was  in  a  pkqr  called  PtUr  Pm  wbkk 
Myrte  and  I  bad  seen  ooe  ChristflBas  wadu  Bnt 
oooid  this  Wcndjr,  I  asked  myself,  fai  anj  wigr  ba 
the  same  Wen^  as  mj  Hefo-Maai  And  if  tiwgr 
were  *  Ae  same,  these  two  Wen^MM^  what  was  a 
vHddb  he  had  f^nto  to  sobm  urikwown  woman 
doing  kn  tfda  house  of  midnifht  lysterks  ? 


CHAPTER  SIX 


I WAS  itill  wutyiuf  over  tiit  prabtan  of  tlw  mM 
io  tiie  rii«  wiMB  Ifin  Ledwidfe  CMM  and  M  OM 
out  of  tiw  rooo.  Siw  took  ne  tiuoogli  •  ftinfe- 
waj  Uned  witi;  a  dodiet-pivw  whh  eimd  wooden 
doora,  then  d»oti|h  a  hamlj  fon^hed  room  with 
•  big  flOAffile  firqpiut  that  itmfaided  ow  of  a 
leimi,  then  throui^  a  wUto-tited  haHuoon  w^  a 
Honaa  pocMbt  and  on  again  inlo  a  daricened 
diamfaer.  On  one  aide  of  it  I  could  tee  a  hi^  bed, 
hot  thi^  was  idioat  aB  I  could  main  out,  except  that 
the  room  was  a  big  oni^  And  the  shadows  of  that 
room,  for  some  reason,  began  to  give  me  goose- 

1  want  some  Ii|^  hi  hete,"  I  firmly  demanded. 

'^nt  Mr.  Bartlm  said  not" 

1  don't  care  what  Mr.  Bartlett  said.  Tve  jost 
got  to  have  some  light  You  can  do  what  yon  like 
lator  on,  but  Pm  goii^  to  know  the  ky-out  of  this 
crib  before  I  cnrl  up  hi  it  r* 

So,  piahiljr  against  her  will.  Miss  Ledwidge 
switdied  on  a  ^  of  the  ekctries.  There  seemed 

122 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE  12S 


to  be  a  good  miiijr  of  them,  one  at  either  tide  of  the 
bed,  oat  at  either  ikle  of  a  tiny  fireplace,  and  one 
at  either  side  of  an  equally  tiny  writing-desk.  And 
if  Btid  had  ever  seen  that  room  he  would  undotibtp 
adly  have  said,  *'Saiiie  crib,  believt  net" 

For  that  whole  room,  I  turn,  was  done  in  old  roet 
and  cream.  It  had  a  cream  and  rose  chaise-longue 
near  an  ivory  colored  reading-table,  and  roee-ihaded 
electric  readiiiff^aiiipt,  and  a  little  Chinese  pagoda 
of  old  roM  to  ttow  away  the  deik-ielephoiie  ta. 
Then  there  were  three  rote  and  cream  praycr-njgi 
and  heavy  roee<olored  curtain  draperies  ttiat  fi^ 
minded  me  of  a  glorified  circus-wagon. 

But  the  thmg  that  hit  my  eye,  from  the  first,  was 
the  bed  itself.  It  was  something  to  dream  about 
^or  it  was  the  most  forgeons  bed  I've  ever  bm^ed 
into,  barring  not  even  that  Du  Bany  cootn^on 
my  old  friend  Leslie  Carter  tised  to  throw  fits  on.  I 
don't  know  whether  it  was  a  Lonis-Quinxe  relic  or 
a  priwHwraner  from  Grand  R^iub.  But  I  know 
tinrt  tiie  head  of  it  had  carved  Ctqpi^  nrfxed  tip  wi&k 
a  lot  of  frw^  and  vines  and  two4ecgad  goals  plisr* 
tog  mnes  ana  mcerwoven  nowen  ans  npaniiB  ami 
gmiicradGBb  And  the  fa^  haavy  casrtains  wars  a  aaM 
of  HIk  red  with  fholMa  of  §M  and  ihm  wm  m 
cream  and  raat  eiderdown  m  U^blM  saa^'ioami  &tA 


124     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


inUows  as  big  as  a  steamer-trunk,  with  lace-bor- 
dercd  and  lace-crested  pillow-cases  over  them.  I 
noticed,  too,  that  the  sheets  were  lace  bordered,  with 
the  same  crest  worked  on  them,  and  a  blanket  of 
creamy  wool  was  edged  with  three  inches  of  pale 
rose  satin. 

But,  oh,  the  softness  of  that  bed  when  I  hopped 
into  it;  the  soothing  pliancy  of  it  as  I  rolled  over  be- 
tween those  crested  sheets!  It  seemed  to  take  me 
in  its  arms  and  hold  me  there,  the  way  that  a  man 
who  really  cares  for  a  woman  tries  to  hold  her.  It 
seemed  to  billow  up  all  about  me,  like  lazy  waves 
that  were  floating  me  off  to  warm-scented  islands 
where  all  the  fat  little  Cupids  could  rock  in  the  palm- 
tops and  the  two-legged  goats  could  do  laay  mint^s 
to  the  drone  of  their  own  flutes. 

I  wormed  and  squirmed  from  one  side  of  that 
bed  to  the  other,  just  to  get  used  to  the  softness  of  it 
all.  Then  I  tried  a  stretch  or  two.  And  as  I  did  ao 
it  came  home  to  me  how  I'd  always  liked  luxury, 
how  I'd  always  nursed  that  absurd  and  hopeless  ache 
for  grandeur. 

"Call  me  at  noon  to-morrow,  Celeste  1"  I  quietly 
announced  to  Miss  Ledwidge. 

But  there  wasn't  the  ghost  of  a  smile  on  that 
mine's  face  as  she  vent  about  adjvstnig  the  coven 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  125 


and  draping  the  lilac- red  curtains  and  switching  out 
most  of  the  electrics. 

I  looked  up,  with  a  sharp  word  of  warning.  For 
I  intended  to  have  at  least  a  couple  of  those  bulbs 
left  on,  if  Miss  Ledwidge  felt  sure  it  wouldn't  break 
the  firm.  For  it  seemed  very  still  and  shadowy  in 
that  big  room.  It  made  me  feel  creepy. 

Then  I  suddenly  remembered  something,  and  sat 
straight  up  in  that  bed.  I  had  forgotten  all  about 
the  Cupids  and  crests  and  lace-bordered  sheets. 

"My  God !"  I  gasped.  "That  woman  died  in  this 
bed  not  twenty  minutes  ago  I"* 

And  I  started  to  climb  out. 

"Hushl"  warned  the  nurse,  as  she  tried  to  hold 
me  back. 

"Do  you  s'pose  I'm  going  to  lie  right  where  that 
dead  wcmian  must  have  been?"  I  shrilled  out  at  her. 
"Not  on  your  life !  Not  for  all  the  money  on  Man- 
hattan Island!   Not  for—" 

"Hsssssssht"  broke  in  the  nurse  again.  And  I 
think  her  face  must  have  looked  as  frightened  as 
mine.   "That  woman  didn't  die  in  this  bedl" 

"Then  where  did  ate?"  I  demanded. 

**When  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor  that  no 
woman  died  in  this  bed>  will  you  believe  me?"  aiked 
Mist  Ledwtdgi.  She       in  deid^  eafneit,  and 


126     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


she  spoke  with  a  sort  of  coerced  restraint  that  made 
me  sit  back  and  look  at  her.  She  met  my  stare 
without  flinching. 

"You'll  swear  that?"  I  said.  And  still  again  it 
^  impressed  me  that  this  quiet-voiced  woman  knew 
more  of  that  house  and  its  mysteries  than  she  cared 
ito  talk  about. 

*'I  swear  it,"  she  replied,  looking  back  over  her 
shoulder,  for  a  tap  had  plainly  sotmded  on  the  hall 
door. 

The  next  moment  that  door  swung  open,  and  the 
little  old  weasel  himself  stepped  softly  into  the  room. 
It  rather  astonished  me  to  see  that  he  was  holding 
a  handkerchief  to  his  eyes.  I  even  thought  I  heard 
a  whimper  or  two  as  he  hurriedly  shut  the  door. 
But  the  moment  that  door  was  shut  behind  him  he 
had  the  handkerchief  stowed  away,  and  his  ferrety 
little  face  was  peering  about  in  every  comer  of  the 
room.  He  reminded  me  of  a  somewhat  worried 
stage-manager  inflecting  his  "set"  before  the  cur- 
tain rolled  up. 

"What's  wrong  here?"  he  demanded,  as  he  sidled 
over  to  where  the  nurse  was  still  holding  me  down  in 
bed  by  the  arm.  I  noticed  a  new  note  in  his  voice 
as  he  ^oiee,  a  note  of  power,  a  note  of  authori^. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  127 


"Our  patient  is  a  1^  nervous,"  ei^toined  Htm 
quiet-eyed  wcfnan  who  stood  at  my  side.  She  defiv^ 
ered  this  message  so  casually  that  I  turned  and 
lodced  up  into  her  face,  woottering,  fear  a  moment, 
if  she  had  IqrpiKitized  herself  into  bdieving  I  was 
actual^  a  rick  w(Maan. 

Her  face,  however,  was  otwe  more  as  expression* 
las  as  a  mask.  And  it  remained  tiiat  way  eveniHiCB 
the  old  weasd  advanced  to  the  becbide  and 
pushed  her  bruskly  to  one  side.  With  my  free  hand 
I  could  feel  my  SheflBeld-plate  candlestick  under  Hbt 
sheet  And  ^t  gave  my  tugging  mvm  a  tort  of 
wittd-andior. 

"My  dear,"  that  okl  scotoidrd  purred,  as  ha 
leaned  close  down  over  me,  "you  do  as  you've  been 
told  to  do  and  mithing  whatever  will  happen  to  yon. 
Nothing  can  happen  to  yonf 

Notwidislttiding  that  assurance  I  coidd  fed  1^ 
fingers  dose  about  my  wrist  They  made  me  tiiiidc 
of  the  daws  of  a  bird  of  prey. 

"But  there's  too  nmdi  happening  here  dreacfy," 
I  protested.  "And  there  are  a  lew  things  I  want 
setstrais^tr 

'listen  to  me,!'  retorted  that  old  weasd,  and  he 
spoke  in  a  aott  of  hissii^  whiter  as  he  ttoopid 


128     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


cloter  <nrer  my  face, ''if  yoa  nake  one  move  to  inter- 
fere with  these  ^ans  of  oars,  yonH  nevir  gtt  Mtt 
of  this  house  alkfer* 

He  was  trying  to  make  himself  out  the  human 
{Niff-adder,  aU  rig^  But  there  was  one  thing  tint 
didn't  tacapt  me.  If  ht  hadn't  for  some  reason  or 
other  been  as  scared  of  me  as  I  was  of  him,  he 
wouM  never  have  stooped  to  that  threat  So  I  sat 
tig^  He,  oa  his  part,  tried  to  accentuate  tluit 
threat  fay  increasing  the  pressure  of  his  daws  on 
my  flesh. 

"Hold  <»i  there  I"  I  told  him,  in  no  tempeied  tone 
ofi^ce.  "You're  hurting  n^  wrist  And  you  may 
as  well  know  right  now  that  you  can't  try  to  man- 
haul  me  and  get  away  with  itf* 

"Hsssshr  he  warned,  desperately,  with  a  WOT- 
ried  kmk  over  his  diouhler.  And  for  a  moment  I 
even  imagined  he  was  gdng  to  see  what  giwMwg 
could  do  to  dmt  me  off. 

Then  play  your  side  square,"  I  tdd  him,  "or 
you  needn't  esqiect  me  to  pUty  my  side  that  way  r 

He  kwkfid  downat  me  for  a  moment  ot  two,  and 
hit  eyes  weren't  exactly  beamii^  with  tove-figfat 
Then  he  took  a  ds^  bfea^  %toed  to  Hat  door, 
peered  out,  and  hurried  back  to  tiie  side  of  tiie  bed. 

"Now  remember,  it  will  be  Mr.  Scripps,  Mr. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  129 


Theobiad  Scrippt  who  will  4o  tlw  fcatfing,"  wbi^ 
pered  the  little  dd  mail. 

"And  who  it  he    I  demanded. 

'*He*8  the  family  lawyer.  Yoo  mnit  listen  as  he 
reads  that  will,  but  you  must  never  speak — never,  at 
least,  above  a  wfaiqper.  When  he  finidies  you  muat 
say 'Yes,  tint  is  what  I  wanted.'  Yon  most  whisper 
that  We  want  the  others  to  hear  yon  say  it,  for 
it's  our  dttty  to  ooovinoe  those  others  tint  the  l^;al- 
ity  of  this  will  can  never  be  attacked.  They  must 
see  yon  sign  itT 

"And  they'll  believf(  Ym  Clarissa  Rhindander 
Bartlett?" 

"They  can't  believe  anytiung  dse!  They've  ffot 
to  bdieve  tiiat  yon  are  Clarissa  Bartiett  They 
bdieve  it  now,  and  nodung  will  hi^pcn  to  dudee  tint 
bdief.  Tl.jy  know  yoa're  not  kng  for  Hiis  world, 
that  you're  about  to  pass  " 

"Heyrioittin.  "Don't  harp  on  that  any  nwe 
or  yonll  rare  giveme  Hnt  wiUiesr 

For  jnst  a  moiumt  the  UH^  old  semndrd  kxiked 
pozded.  It  was  pli^  that  he  didaft  know  what  tile 
"willies^  were. 

"Then,  when  yon've  stated  4ttt  Ae  w01  is  saiM* 
factoty,"  he  went  on,  "I  want  yon  to  whkiper :  Td 
like  Annt  Aga^  Widdemer  tt  m  mAi^iitimg  wil- 


130     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


nets.  And  Miss  Ledyidge  here  for  the  other  wit- 
ness, please !'  "  He  looked  back  over  his  shoulder  at 
the  trained  nurse.  "It's  Aunt  Agatha,  isn't  it,  who's 
the  short-sighted  one  ?"  he  inquired. 

**Atid  slightly  deaf,"  amended  the  trained  nurse, 
with  an  ironic  flutter  of  her  eyelids.  But  that  was 
her  only  e:q>ressicai  of  human  amosement  in  the 
incident. 

The  little  old  weasel  turned  back  to  me. 

"Can  you  do  that?"  he  inquired. 

I  nodded  my  head. 

"Then  try  it,"  he  commanded. 

Since  he  wanted  acting,  I  decided  to  give  him  his 
money's  worth.  I  kt  my  head  roll  back  and  my 
body  go  lin^  between  the.  sheets.  I  relaxed  my  jaw- 
mnsdM  ind  let  my  lips  fall  apart.  Then  I  did  my 
whisper  act  I  did  it  brokenly,  weakly,  at  thodgli 
it  was  comii^  with  my  last  gasp  of  life. 

The  old  scotmdrd  nodded  his  head,  pR»^y, 
approvingly. 

/'Some  actress,  eh?"  I  in^ortinently  inquired. 
But  he  ignored  that  im^ewucy, 

"That  is  just  what  we  want,  my  dear,  just  what 
we  wanti  And  there's  one  tbtnf  more.  I  mean 
tliese  bttczards  down-stwrs  who  are  all  wondering 
whidi  wmy  die  Bartlett  estate  is  gofaif  to  fo.  There 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  131 


nay  be  one  or  two  in  tint  eoBeetkm  of—of  di 
pttfstitet  who  win  want  to  say  food-liy.  I  donbt 
it,  after  they've  heard  tint  win,  but  we  have  to  be 
prcpareo* 

"Whafn  tiiey  want  to  do  to  me?"  I  adeed. 

'^otur  Aunt  Agatha,  I  imagine,  may  even  want 
to  kiss  you." 

"Geeri  gasped.  'Tve  got  to  earn  that  nx  hun- 
dred, after  aUr 

"But  don't  worry,  my  dear.  ItH  aU  go  off  as 
smooth  as  a  onps-drin.  All  you  must  renxmber  b 
to  lay  Ihnp-^y  limp  and  don't  move.  Let  'em  kiss 
your  hand  if  they  want  to.  But  ke^  weak.  Don't 
try  more  than  a  mere  whiq)ered  Xjood-by,'  a  yery 
faint  'Good-by,' "  he  liked,  pinching  the  air  between 
a  pointed  thumb  and  f  orefii^er. 

"^ut  supposing  one  of  tiiat  bunch  shouM  try  to 
taSc  to  mer  I  demanded,  sharing  little  of  that  old 
scoundrel's  laith  in  his  pc^cy  of  Hmpness. 

'Doctor  Klinger,  of  course,  will  be  here  bedde 
you.  He'U  be  present,  naturally,  to  protect  his 
patient  And  Miss  Ledwidge  wiU  also  help^  They 
win  see  tiwt  you  are  not  overtaxed." 

The  <M  weasd  locked  up  as  Doc^  Klii^  him- 
self stepped  into  the  room.  That  man  of  medicine 
was  plainly  a  bad  odor  and  quite  as  plainly  far  from 


XS2     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


bdng  at  his  ease.  He  triet  to  oanceal  this,  I  could 
see,  by  an  extra  dose  of  professional  pompowty. 

"They're  getting  restless— restless/'  he  annomvced 
in  a  warning  whisper. 

I  cauj^t  si|^t  of  Miss  Ledwidge's  face  as  she 
financed  at  him.  It  flashed  through  me  that  this 
cabn-qred  young  wcnnan  had  ik>  love  for  that  big- 
booed  hulk  of  a  con^rator.  Why  it  was»  I  conld 
not  tell.  They  were  certainly  both  in  the  same 
game.  But  some  sixth  sense  kept  whispering  to  me 
^t  she  didiked  the  man,  that  she  distrusted  him, 
although  she  couldn't  afford  to  show  her  real  f eel- 
ingis. 

"l  don't  see  how  we're  going  to  hoAd  'em  down 
there  nmch  Umger"  he  repeated  in  his  warning 
whisper. 

I  noticed  Hxt  nurse  and  the  old  weasd  exchange 
l^anoes. 

"Well,  we're  rewfy  for  'emf  retorted  the  cdd 
sooondrd,  with  a  snap  of  &e  jaws. 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 


AS  I  lay  in  that  bed,  in  state,  with  the  light  very 
JLm,  low,  and  the  big  doctor  on  one  side  of  me  and 
the  trained  nurse  on  the  other,  I  began  to  feel  about 
as  important  as  the  Queen  of  Sheba  on  fair-day  in 
Ethiopia.  It  wasn't  until  later  that  t^e  serious  side 
of  the  whole  thing  came  home  to  me. 

It  wasn't  until  I  saw  old  Ezra  Bartlett  stand  at 
the  door,  admitting  the  visitors  one  by  one,  with 
much  the  same  apathetic  resignation  that  Noah  must 
have  admitted  the  animals  to  the  Ark,  that  the  possi- 
bility of  that  situation  having  its  darker  side  became 
plain  to  me.  They  may  have  been  queer-looking 
people,  that  scattering  of  hungry-eyed  relatives  buz- 
zing like  wasps  about  a  fallen  pear.  There  may  have 
been  something  ignominious  in  their  stares  of 
appraisal  about  that  bewilderingly  furnished  house. 
But  I  was  a  bigger  hypocrite  than  the  rest  of  them. 
There  was  something  more  ignoble  in  my  position 
than  in  any  of  theirs.  I  was  an  outsider,  making 
profit  from  their  grief.  And  I  was  the  one  who 
shotiM  first  and  last  have  been  ashamed  of  myself. 

m 


134     THE  HOUSB  OP  INTRIGUE 


But  I  couldn't  for  the  life  of  me  keep  from 
smiling  at  that  motley  array.  First  came  Enoch 
Bartlett,  with  his  shoulders  hunched  up  and  his 
-wizened  old  face  as  alert  and  furtive  and  veiled  as 
the  weasel's.  Then  came  Aunt  Agatha  Widdemer. 
She  wore  black,  and  was  crying  openly  and  audibly. 
She  started  for  the  bed,  but  the  watchful  Miss  Led- 
widge  came  between  her  and  the  hangings  and 
steered  her  gently  on  toward  where  old  Enoch  Bart- 
lett was  making  hypocritical  dabs  at  his  eyes  with 
a  huge  linen  handkerchief.  Yet  profuse  as  was  Aunt 
Agatha's  grief,  I  noticed  that  she  suspended  her 
tears  long  enough  to  sniff  audibly  and  then  ostenta- 
tiously withdraw  her  presence  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  old  Enoch.  Practically  all  of  the  newcom- 
ers, in  fact,  betrayed  an  active  spirit  of  hostility 
toward  that  solemn  and  solitary  figure,  who  stood 
quite  alone  at  the  far  side  of  the  room,  as  black  and 
sober  as  a  crow,  while  the  others  gathered  together 
protectively,  like  prairie-cattle  before  a  stonn,  in 
the  opposite  comer  of  the  shadowy  room. 

That  group  was  made  bigger  by  the  advent  of  two 
gawky  young  girls  with  frightened  eyes.  Then  came 
a  dandified  young  man  in  yellow  shoes  and  yellow 
gloves,  and  a  prim-faced  old  maid  with  a  mouth  that 
looked  as  thotii^  it  had  been  sticking  kmoo-dropt. 


THE  HOUSE  or  INTRIGUE  135 

Then  came  othtr  itiadowy  fiftim  wlikh  I  coiddtf  t 
make  out,  for  ehber  xaxtm  or  Doctor  KHafer 
stood  between  them  and  mt. 

But  I  coidd  lietr  ten  there  fe  tfit  fNlw 
whispering  and  itirrinf  ttneieay.  And  I  could  eet 
that  they  were  a  group  of  afiem,  unfaniHar  with 
that  house,  I  could  alio  tee  that  none  of  to 
nursed  any  love  for  Ae  two  old  Bartlett  brothera* 
who,  fortified  by  the  knowiedfe  of  their  power, 
showed  small  concern  in  either  the  nifft  of  reacok- 
ment  or  the  scoi*  of  antafodam  from  that  ffl- 
assorted  group. 

The  last  to  come  in  waa  a  wy  aloal  woman  of 
abc  It  forty-five.  She  had  a  red  faee^  overfanOf 
clothes,  and  a  handful  of  &e  fineat  ringi  Td  ae»  hi 
many  a  day.   She  waa  puffing;  apparently  from 
climbing  the  stairs,  hot  Ae  waa  not  to  any  great 
distress  of  mmd,  for  once  die  had  croiied  the  room 
she  promptly  and  loudly  demanded  a  decent  diair. 
This  one  of  the  gawky  young  girb,  who  gW^ 
involuntarily,  guiltily  got  for  her.  I  coidd  aee  her 
round  red  face,  in  the  half-light,  as  she  peered  aboBt 
in  every  comer,  apparently  sizing  up  eadt  Mrtide  ci 
value  in  the  room.  She  seem^  to  resei*  0ie 
like  silence  of  the  others,  for  die  Innei  heia^l 
in  a  sort  of  fury,  and  emitted  a  tend  gmniof  ooiw 


136     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


tmpt  at  AfSkAft  Widdenwr'i  ipMnodk  ontfwnt 
of  tcut. 

The  lilence  of  the  thing  was  beginning  to  get  on 
my  nerves  and  I  wasn't  sorry  when  old  Theobald 
Scrippe,  the  family  lawyer,  came  sklling  into  the 
room.  He  fitted  his  name;  there  was  no  doubt  of 
that  He  was  a  thin-nosed,  thin-haired  old  snipe  of 
about  sixty.  A  pair  of  i^immering  glasses  rode  the 
end  of  his  narrow  nose  like  a  jockey  riding  the 
thinnest  of  racers.  His  eyes  were  pale,  his  lips  were 
pinched  and  bhie,  and  his  protruding  Adam's  apple 
had  the  tridc  of  working  up  and  down,  as  he  spoke, 
in  a  most  fascinating  manner,  so  that  you  had  to 
watch  it,  even  though  you  wanted  to  or  not. 

I  eyed  him  and  his  acrobatic  Adam's  from 
my  cave  of  gloom  as  he  tiptoed  mindngiy  over  to 
the  doctor,  wintered  with  him  for  a  momesl  or 
two,  and  then  looked  wokxauSj  about  at  tint 
shadowy  group  at  tiie  far  end  of  the  room. 

This  is  painful,  unspeakably  painful,**  he  said 
with  a  sigh,  as  he  produced  a  bulky  and  kgal-lodk- 
ing  paper  from  his  podcet  As  t  was  unfolding 
tiiis  I  noticed,  for  the  first  time,  that  ^  two  gawky 
girls  had  pditely  anticipated  my  d«tth  by  the  use 
of  two  bladk-bofdered  handkerch^fs.  And  I  had 
to  bury  a  whoop  in  my  pillow.  I  just  couldn't  hc^  'tC 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  137 


Tlwt  braaglit  liie  doctor  down  on  me,  like  a 
hKmk,  He  iwiit  ft  bluff  at  feeling  my  pnlM,  but  hit 
Ita^wt  iMrii  into  ^  flcth  of  my  fonann  until  they 
left  ft  mmIi.  And  the  next  moment  the  yellow-faced 
flli  Umytt  wftt  ftt  hit  dbow.  And  on  the  iar  tide 
«i  iw  fOQin  I  eoidd  hear  ft  woman  crying. 

At  be  Urong  enon^  for  the  ordeal?"  teftP> 
My  inqntred  the  <^d  Mtq>e. 

Doctor  Klkiftr  ioeM  concerned. 

Trr  fraad H OMik te harried.  Asyoaiee,htf 

•treng.i. fotast^ 

*mdther  mind  k  ifakbt  dear?" 

'^Qdledeftr,''  the  doctor  replied. 

"Yim  nM  ia  ^oHe  dcarf'  the  old  rascal  adied 
fta  he  leaned  overme.  '^te  dear,  my  dear?" 

That  ffog^faorat  ttrudc  me  at  funny,  but  I  coold 
feel  the  doctor's  grip  tighten  on  my  arm. 

'Xaear  at  a  uMa^r  I  whiiperwl  back  -and  I 
had  to  duxide  at  hit  invotontary  wince.  It  wat 
deady  ao       lor  faeetioaaneai»  hb  faee  taid»  at 

**^lh.  tgObt  dearr  he  ooofaigly  rdteiated  at  he 
badiadaiii^ipidihitdoeaBMBt  'HThen  I  ihall  read 

whatyoa^MtitooMdaybeloftyealMdiQF'  And 
il  tee  aia  a^  oauaaioet,  or  aagr  GOfftaetei^  fttitt 

maiee  a  di^  iar  as  to  ttopk" 


138     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Then  he  sighed  and  wiped  hit  eyes.  "Poor  child  I" 
he  cooed  with  a  convuluTe  movement  of  the  shoul- 
ders, plainly  intended  as  an  expression  of  inarticulate 
grief.  I  would  have  pinched  him,  I  know,  but  his 
leg  was  beyond  my  reach.  And  the  oaly  people  I 
felt  sorry  for  was  that  group  of  anxious-eyed  shttp 
at  the  far  end  of  the  room.  They  were,  I  knew, 
about  to  get  the  jolt  of  their  life.  They  were  going 
to  see  their  fondest  dreams  of  wealth  suddenly  go 
tip  in  smoke.  And  all  this  intricate  byplay,  I 
remembered,  was  merely  to  impress  on  them  that 
the  smoke  was  gemnne.  Not  one  of  them,  prob- 
acy, had  done  any  more  than  I  had  to  merit  that 
wealth.  But  the  shadow  of  seven  million  dollars 
is  a  far-reaching  one.  It  could,  I  reminded  myidlf, 
bring  taat  and  aflbienoe  to  hondreds.  It  shocdd 
have  poured  like  a  great  river  of  gokl,  I  supposed, 
straight  out  to  those  htmgry-eyed  ones.  B«t  that 
mighty  river  was  being  turned  from  its  coarse,  was 
being  diverted,  waa  being  sent  sweq^  down  tiie 
other  nde  of  a  great  divide.  And  IMt  Me  in  sgr 
crgpe-de-diine  nif^tie  was  the  tiirtnitiwiiit  ^hst  was 
to  tnra  aside  that  cokMsal  jtUam  cwrent,  by  a  nero 
acratdi  of  the  pen.  It  was  no  woadtr  I  btgm  to 

I  could  Imr  old  TlwobiU  Sc^pt  dear  Ids  liirait 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  139 


tnd  begin  to  spetk.  Eves  tewoaaitiiiw  bud  kea 
crying  at  ^  far  end  of  tiK  foom  taddeofy  grew 

*l.a<&i  and  fentenen^"  ke  Mid  is  hit  waoeA 
and  oily  toties,  "an  ^  it,  in  a  way,  fomswlHit 
imgular,  and  aomewlii^  outside  tte  vand  pfooe- 
dure.  But  as  yen  Imow,  tbe  case  is  exIfaoidkMnr. 
This  poor  diild,  my  dient,  lias  not  kxig  to  be  widi 
tis.  Bi«  as  tke  sole  heir  and  possessor  of  die  BkI- 
lett  estate  tiie  solenm  duty  devohes  upon  her  el  ^ 
posing  of  diat  estate  as  d»  sees  fit  For  that  reaseo 
and  toward  tiiat  end  I  was  two  days  afo  eaSed  in 
to  prepare  this  hwt  wifi  and  testanM  of  Cbrissa 
Rhtnehmder  Bartlett  And  yon  have  been  caOed 
together  to  witness  duA  signature  and  to  testify  to 
the  regularity  of  the  prooednre  in  even  its  iiiiiHrtest 
details.  Is  that  quite  dear  to  yon  aQT* 

Nobody  answered,  but  the  woman  at  ^  £ur  end 
of  the  room  began  to  cry  again,  quite  a»d9>fy.  And 
old  Ezra  Bartlett  made  an  impatient  lifB  for  the 
man  of  the  law  to  get  Iwsy. 

"Now,  my  dear,  if  yon  wiH  li^**  Ae  old  hw^ 
yer  said,  stepping  closer  to  my  skie.  Tbta  he  looked 
over  the  rim  of  his  glasses  at  me.  "Can  you 
me,  quite  clearly?" 

"Quite  clearly,"  I  whiqiered 


MO     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Then  he  began  to  read. 

"I,  Clarissa  Rhinetender  Battktt,  of  ^  Oty  ol 
New  York,  State  of  New  Yotk,  being  ol  tonnd  and 
disposing  mind  and  memory,  do  make  and  publish 
thift  my  last  will  and  testament,  her^  revoking  aS 
former  wills,  oodictk  and  testttneittary  dispontion 
by  me  at  any  tkne  made. 

"Item  otui  I  herdiy  direct  that  niy  just  dd)ts» 
te.gether  witii  all  cscpenses  raahii^  (tan  vsf 
final  iUness  and  fmeral,  be  pakl  as  eiqieditioaafy 
after  my  decease  as  may  be  convenient  for  n^ 
cceeutors. 

"Item  two  :  I  give,  devne  and  beqneatlt  to  my 
bek)ved  Qtffse,  Alicia  Ledwidge^  of  the  €%  Mew 
York,  Stateof  New  York,  as  a  token  of  n^  esteem 
and  for  servkes  rendered,  tfie  sam  of  Fivt  Tkosh 
sand  DoQars,  to  be  free  of  afl  taxes. 

"Ittrntkmi  I  give,  devise  and  beqiiea&  to  tty 
plQr^cian,  Doctor  Otto  Khnger,  as  a  slight  token  of 
Ins  mrtirii^  and  unsparing  efforts  on  my  behalf,  ^ 
iom  of  Ten  Thousand  DoUars,  to  be  free  of  ai 
tasees." 

At  diia  precte  pomt,  I  ventwcd  a  loud  and  h^ 
brio«s  groan.  But  the  yMSat  ehnp  on  m 
tii^tened  threatening^,  and  the  flal-vmoed  oklman 
of  hiw  went  on  w^  h»  riatfi^^ 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  141 


rat  and  raidae,  «id  remaiader  of  my  estate  equiUy 
to  ny  two  iMdofved  UndNi  Em  Twtedie  B>i!t|ctt 
•ad  Enoch  Tvecdie  Bartlett»  bodi  oi  the  GQr  of 
New  Yofic  Stite  of  New  YoA,  ^  Mane  to  be  liad 
and  holdoB     timn^  ahafe  and  iluue  alScfc 

"Itemfkfe:  Iherdiyi^pointntysaldtwoUDfiiei^ 
Ezra  Tweedk  Bartktt  and  Enoch  Twee£e  But' 
lett.  as  EaGceiftota  of  1Mb.  mv  last  will  ami  Ifiitaffliiwit. 
and  as  snd.  ihaU  have  final  and  ahsriute  dia> 
posal  ol  the  foBowini^  described  bondSi  mortgafss 
to-wit: 


'^^,000  Inlcfnatfonal  &  Gnat  Nordieiii 
SaSroad  second  Mortgage  five  per  cent  Bonds. 

"$436,000  City  of  New  York  Gold  exempts 
three  and  one-half  per  cent.  Corporate  Stock. 

"$1,1 18,000  City  of  New  York  Gold  exempts 
three  and  one-half  per  cent  assessment  Bonds 
of  Nov.  1st,  1916." 


I  ky  there  likening  to  the  singscmg  voice  as  it 
read  on,  going  tinxmgh  a  long  fist  of  names  that 
souiKled  like  the  Wall  Street  page  of  an  evening 
paper.  There  was  no  use  trying  to  follow  it  The 
whole  thing  only  made  my  head  swim.  And  the 
bleats  of  grief  that  broke  from  the  sheep  at  the  far 


142     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


end  of  the  room  only  added  to  the  coefiisioa.  I 
begtn  to  sMpect  diat  I  wasn't  going  to  be  trooibled 
by  any  too  many  and  lingering  farewdUk 

The  one  fact  iSult  targeted  straight  home  to  nqr 
brain,  however,  was  the  extent  of  the  estate  tint 
•nipe-iioied  old  lawyer  was  itemisiiig  there  as  he 
rtoodbendeme; 

As  I  hiy  there  with  half-dosed  eyes  I  began  to 
wake  up  to  the  enormity  of  iht  plot  into  wUch  I 
had  been  dragged.  It  began  to  dawn  on  me  llMt  I 
was  the  leading  lady  in  a  coup  tiiat  involved  nnllioitt 
of  dollars.  I  no  longer  felt  vaguely  sorry  for  Ae 
girl  who  should  have  been  sleeping  in  that  bed,  who 
should  be  wearing  my  flimsy  garment  of  crqie-de- 
chine  and  directing  this  fortune,  which  must  Lave 
been  hers  for  so  short  a  while,  to  tiie  people  she 
cared  about,  to  the  friends  she  was  fond  of.  Her 
part  in  that  drama,  whatever  it  may  have  been,  was 
over  forever. 

But  as  I  lay  there  listening  to  that  yellow-faced 
old  lawyer  while  he  went  into  detailed  descriptions 
of  sundry  and  divers  blocks  of  stock  and  parcels  of 
real  estate,  there  was  a  rattle  from  that  inevitable 
chain  which  drags  at  every  one's  heels,  linking  them 
to  the  past.  And  with  that  rattle  an  idea  suddenly 
came  to  me.  It  seemed  to  start  at  the  base  of  my 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE  143 


Mo,  mad  tcaaqier  uptotiittopltlnarunina 
stodEiiig.  If  I  wu  the  instrtunent  that  was  so  airily 
tonii^^  three  and  a  half  millions  iato  the  laps  of 
each  ol  tiiose  two  old  hypocrites  in  roi^  black,  why 
eoiddn't  I  just  as  easily  toss  a  quarter  of  a  nulUoa 
into  my  own  h^?  Wl^  couldn't  two  pli^  at  that 
game?  If  old  Ezra  Tweedie  Bartlett  was  to  waUow 
in  snch  easy  money,  ifeoiildn't  he  be  foidy  to 
see  me  shave  a  paring  or  two  off  that  fit  disese  of 
his?  Why,  tmee  tfiey'd  sqoeeaed  me  into  that 
menagerie,  tactically  agskst  my  own  will,  coidte' t 
I  srt  op  a  ht^  howl  of  my  own? 

Then  I  saw  trouble  ahead.  I  saw  the  locdishness 
of  teying  to  wiU  a  quarter  of  a  nlffioo  to  Miss  Bad- 
die  Predow,  address  unknown,  occiq>aUon  weB, 
uttfbrtum^,  of  sudt  a  natnre  that  it  would  not 
bear  too  mui^  official  inquify.  The  thing  would 
have  been  easior,  I  remeatoed,  il  poor  old  Bod 
had  only  been  alive.  I  ooi^  have  trusted  Bud.  And 
he  weidd  have  backed  19  my  daitt  w^  a  boadi  of 
affidavfts  knee<ld|^  to  die  Statue  Liberty.  He 
would  have  made  me  oat  a  ehanty  worisHr  lor  die 
Scfutowamen'a  Reform  Aiiorfatioiv  or  somrthigig 


emfr'eyud  w^sesaia  to  prove  it*  And  I  v. ......ii » ....^ 

wondering,  at  I  lay  dwre,  if  ddi  was      turt  9I 


144     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


loor-fKMlerBiid  woiiklhave]Kitiiieiii,t{those  fool- 
ish old  drant  of  his  had  woiked  out,  and  havii^ 
•tolen  about  half  the  crown  jewels  of  Western 
1  Europe,  he'd  retired  from  the  gentle  profession  of 
ice-gathering  and  lived  sedatdy  somewhere  on  the 
otttdcuts  of  Morristown  or  along  tiie  upper  hkagt 
.of  Broddine. 

I  came  to,  just  in  time  to  hear  the  dromng  voioe 
of  tint  ydlow-faced  ok!  lawyer  saying: 

.  .  .  In  witnMs  whereof  I  have  hereunto  Md>> 
scribed  my  name  and  affixed  my  seal,  this  fifteendi 
day  of  Sq>lember,  in  the  ywr  of  our  Lord  one  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  sixteen." 

From  the  far  end  of  1A»  toom  I  emdd  catdi  the 
sound  of  half-idiij^ieri^  vokes,  as  vtg/rf  and 
resentful  as  the  hum  from  an  overturned  beduve. 
The  red-faced  woman  in  the  dnir  was  even  snort- 
ii^  ai^bly  and  repealed^.  And  tiie  dandififd 
young  man  in  ydlow  shoes  was  pacing  bade  and 
forth  on  an  inqmrted  and  priedess  ^yer-mg  wludi 
he  doubtless  f dt  oug^  to  have  been  his. 

I  locked  and  cramd  my  nedc  a  little,  to  see 
how  the  enemy  was  accq[»tU^  those  demonstrations 
of  hostility.  Od  Eara  Twtedie  Bartktt,  I  noticed, 
Hbood  blandly  blitddng  into  ^Mio^  as  placid  and 
anstere-cycd  as  an  widertaher.  That  other  oid  wiii» 


THE  HOUSE  OF  iKTiaGUE  145 


tet^tpskt  Enodi  Tweedk  Bartlatt»  flood  HKie  quite 
M  fcrendy,  with  hit  hand  copped  behhid  ctr 
and  an  txpnsnon  of  patMit  benevotenoe  on  1m 
wiinkl«i  face.  And  the  snipe-noaed  old  lawyer  at 
tht  bediide  teemed  «[ually  mooaaesona  of  h»  aw- 
rcHmqiTigt,  imt,  navin^  ^netijr  mouooea  Ufotncf 
Enoch  to  advance  toward  the  bed,  he  proceeded  to 
take  out  a  gold  banded  f6iiiitai&-pai,  fold  back  the 
doosnent  which  ht  hdd,  and  addreaa  \m  fvolta- 
ttoial  atten^mt  to 

"U  that,  my  child,  exacdy  at  yon  wiihed?^  he 
ademnly  inquired. 

Ezra  and  Enoch  Bartlett  ttood  on  one  «de  of  die 
bed»  DoctMT  Kliiq;er  and  Theofadd  Scrippa  ttood  on 
the  other.  At  the  footboard  wat  potted  the  trained 
nurse. 

They  made  a  pretty  f ormidable-iookaig  guard  aa 
thqr  ttood  there»  intent  and  motionlete,  fisaif  nie 
with  didr  fire  pairt  of  eyea.  But  I'd  had  a  aeeofKl 
idea  twidenly  come  to  me.  And  I'd  deckled  on  way 


Tet,  of  come,  exactly  at  you  widwdr  tome- 
what  hiqpatwi^y  purred  ^  man  of  law,  atooping 
down  and  prq»ring  to  pto  ^  document  j^seft  f 
could  w^pi  it. 


146     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

I  mKf  havt  whupered  it,  but  I  iiUd  it  wiA  dtd- 
•km.  And  I  ecNdd  feel  the  sodden  dwtric  itir  tint 
CKpt  through  that  shadowy  room. 

*afs  notr  mildljr  dnUenged  Theobald  Scripps. 
He  straightened  up,  regarding  mc  over  hit  spectade- 
rinis,  with  pained  and  sorrowful  qres.  Then  his 
look  of  mefamcholy  bewtldernient  sk)wly  merged  mt^ 
one  of  actual  animosity.  For  he  saw  that  he  couldn't 

stare  nw  down. 
'*No,'*  I  whispered  1^  to  Wm,  meeting  hb  Areat- 

enmg  eye  with  all  ^  pertness  I  could  throw  into 

tiiat  look.    'There's  anodier  stem  that  I'd  lika 

inserted." 

''But  this  is  most  irreguhv cut  in  the  old  kwyer. 
"Is  this  my  will,  or  yours?"  I  cahnly  whispered 
bade  to  him. 

"Your  wiH,  of  course,  my  child,"  murmured  Ae 
dd  scoundrel,  with  an  appealing  side-^^anoe  at  okl 
Ezra  Bartlett,  who'd  pressed  in  a  littie  doser  to  tiia 
bedside. 

"And  it's  my  dying  request,"  I  whispered  to 
them.  I  could  see  cAd  Ezra's  jaw  deadi.  He 
leaned  close  in  over  Ae  bed.  Hb  ImIo  of  sihcry 
hair,  under  the  circamstances,  made  him  took  fuimy. 
For  I  don't  think  I  ever  saw  an  uglier  face,  in  all 
my  life,  than  his  was  at  that  moment 


TH£  HOUS£  OF  INTRIGUE  W 


"Sign  that  will !"  he  whispered.  It  was  not  a  loud 
whisper.  But  it  vibrated  ag»inst  my  ear-drum  like 
the  hiss  of  a  snake. 

**Woof!  Woof!"  I  whispered  back.  For  I 
intended  to  show  him  that  he  couldn't  intimidate  me. 

"Sign  that  will!"  he  repeated. 

I  looked  him  square  in  the  eye. 

"Not  on  your  life !"  I  whispered  back. 

He  leaned  over  me  again.  His  hands  were  shak* 
ing,  his  face  was  about  the  color  of  a  well-ripened 
camembert.  For  a  moment  I  thought  he  was  going 
to  fly  off  the  handle  and  Desdemona  the  Ufe  out  of 
me  with  a  bed-pillow. 

It  was  the  calm-eyed  Miss  Ledwidge  who  gei^ 
but  firmly  drew  him  back. 

"Are  you  feeling  worse,  dear?"  she  said  out  loud, 
to  cover  the  maneuver.  "Is  it  tiring  you  too  much  ?" 
But  as  she  fussed  about  me  I  could  hear  her  whisper- 
ing to  the  three  old  crows  so  close  beside  her. 
"Don't  stop  things  now,  or  you  will  lose  every* 
thing!" 

I  could  see  those  three  old  conspirators  confer 
together,  eye  to  eye.  They  did  so  without  speaking 
a  word.  But  I  knew  that  a  silent  debate  was  taking 
place  there,  close  beside  me.  I  witnessed  the  word- 


148     THE  HOUSE  INTRIGUE 


the  clash  of  unspoken  question  and  answer,  the  final 
surrender  to  some  mute  argument  which  had  to  be 
faced.  It  was  like  a  stage-wait,  with  the  audience 
at  the  far  end  of  that  dimly-lighted  room  getting 
restless  to  understand  the  reason  for  it.  But  it  ended 
in  the  snipe-nosed  old  man  of  law  once  more  lean- 
ing solicitously  in  over  his  somewhat  triumphant- 
eyed  patient. 

"What  is  it,  my  dear,  you  are  asking  of  us?"  he 
inquired,  apparently  with  the  forbearance  of  a  long- 
suffering  man  being  tried  beyond  his  just  deserts. 

"Just  about  seven  per  cent,  as  a  commission  on 
the  deal !"  I  whispered  back.  I  said  it  quietly  enough 
to  carry  to  that  little  group  about  the  bedside,  but 
no  farther.  I  could  see  old  Enoch  Bartlett's  face 
working  in  the  vague  side-light.  The  expression  of 
that  face  made  me  grateful  for  the  pillar  of  Shef- 
fieki-plate  that  reposed  on  that  bed  so  cbse  beside 
me. 

"So  please  add  item  six  to  that  will,"  I  whispered, 
in  a  slightly  louder  tone  than  before.  For  I  was 
beginning  to  lose  patience  with  that  circle  of  dyed- 
in-the-wool  hypocrites.  And  I  intended  to  show 
them  that  their  poor  little  half-wooled  ewe-lamb 
wasn't  the  thing  of  meekness  they  had  thought  her. 

"Now  what  it  it,  my  <iear,  that  yott  wish  iaMf^ 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  IA9 


•dr  inqiM  Tlmteld  Sorippi.  with  rnnitnwiiig 
wagiof  tiiebMd.  Aiidlit.iloodwMipaipoiMd,aii 
Ifaoui^  fctd^  for  diclatioB. 
I  fppn  it  tollMfiif  ttnii^ht  off  tit* 
**I  ^  tad  beqnMitii,''  I  wMipertd,  "gkm  mM 
btqumtk  f»  Wttidy  Gmgtr  WMmm,  &f  mt  CUy 
of  Htm  York,  SmoofNm  York,  Htomm  of  Tm 
Hmirti  omd  Piffy  Tkommd  DoKanT—imt  tM 
JEin  amtutxt  cnuttcu  ft  low  BQC  inncreii  gRNni**^ 
"19  6f  ^  fokimim  oa^  ow^ofmy  niait  prior  §§ 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 


TT  wM  tlK  rn«  tlHi  M  iMde  iM  tWBk  ol  Wmfy 
A  WMtew,  I  mmiiilm  mil  ^  he  h>d  btm  fener- 
ci  s,  oMt  bHon,  wfcM  ke  iat|^  h»pe  htm  wm^ 
jm*  He  W  Mlptd  mt  OMB  vtei  I  mmM  iM^ 
wIhii  to  tQ  iatentt  wd  porpoees  i      te  tlie  ^«n»(. 
H  I  W9B  wrong  in  this  bigfer  mcmmtakt  dtai  it 
wt»  ttp  to      Hero-Man  to  tay  te^  fans  I  tiMdii 
to  inttcii  at  way  ^aace»  while  that  mmet  nffi 
heloct  OK.    I  knew  there  went  risl^  hiA  ihadw 
to  thkak  irixwt  ^m.   I  mmly  rrHMHiitmn  1 
it  wM  toelm  to  IfeMic  ol  iMf      c^Ni  smk 
Aad  Wendy  Washbimi'swaidw^^^.  ^thatcat^ 
to  fli^  in  that  moment  M  mmmuaLj.  I 
reKshed  the  tfaom^  in  iaet.  mi  eMy  w^  a 
quarter  of  a  miffic^  to  a    »  fd  01%  ^Atd  io  jooe 
in  my  life. 

What  he  wmtid  -  *  whi  ^  qtis  ter  °  a  miSioa, 
I  not  even  atlex^^t  to  ^  nswer.  was  riven  no 
tiiBe  to  SKditi^  over  steh  tfa  ^  ti  drama 
lotw-pf^to*  was  \.jo  qiiidc-cBc  .uq;  to 
■Hmloi^  nc^^ecteti. 

Yel  I  WW,  onee  I  had  draped  my  bomb  m  their 

150 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  151 


nidilt  a  diai^  eone  over  that  little  compaajr  of 
coatpiratora.  I  nw  tht  silent  debate  resumed 
bafewttn  those  wary  and  gMrded  figures.  But  it  wis 
ftsumed  with  a  diStreaoe.  It  seemed  to  be  appr»- 
li^aion  whkfa  I  now  saw  on  thtir  f  aces.  In  the  case 
ol  the  two  old  uncles,  for  a  momsat  :  ^  two,  I  even 
^"Vgiiied  I  could  real  fear  there,  ^ith  Doctor 
^ifBr  il  WW  pt  nlexity  toudied  with  somt 
mm'  X  MMq^on  which  I  could  no'  fathom, 
i^di  t  ?  cmtoniarily  calm-eyed  Wm  l^edwidge 
it  was  open  and  iavohntary  bewildcnBent  and 
I  was  foolish  enough,  at  the  tiiiie»to  think  ^lat 
I  had  ovarpowcffd  ^mn  with  my  audacity.  But 
there  wive  oertaffi  yafi  which  I  wm  desliaed  aot 
tofindoutantillav 

"Aadyottiasktc  cfaaage?"  iIk  yellow-faced 
old  lawyer  was  addng  ,  at  a  grim  nod  of  the  head 
framEsraBartlett  I  imagined,  of  oourse^  that  the 

old  scoundrel  had  surrendered. 

**Yes,"  I  whispered  back,  as  he  looked  apprehen- 
sn-ely  over  his  shoukler,  lor  the  scattered  group  at 
the  far  end  of  the  rooai  were  betraying  renewed 
signs  of  restivisiesa. 

Doctor  Klinger  and  the  nurse,  at  a  sign  from  Ezra 
Bartkftt,  carried  a  small  table  to  the  bedside.  The 
old  Itmyv  seated  himself  before  this  table.  Then 


152     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


he  gazed  at  the  hangings  of  my  four-ix)8ter  with  an 
anxious  and  troubled  eye. 

"Will— er — ^will  this  be  overtaxing  the  strength 
of  our  patient?"  he  solemnly  asked,  with  his  head 
on  oat  side,  and  a  niile  of  pained  aonow  on  hit 
wizened  old  face. 

"Don't  worry  about  me,'*  I  whispered  back  to 
him,  "or  you'll  see  your  last  chance  shp  away  f  rcmi 
you!" 

He  winced  at  that,  and  looked  apprehensively 
toward  the  group  at  the  end  of  the  room. 

"Oh,  yes;  our  last  chance — our  last  chancel"  he 
ademnly  repeated,  as  he  placed  the  document  on  the 
taUe,  nnoothed  it  out  and  began  laboriously  penning 
the  new  lines  along  the  top  of  the  second  page. 
These  pages,  I  noticed,  were  tied  together  with  red 
tape,  held  in  place  by  the  seals.  You  could  have 
heard  a  pin  drop  in  that  room,  during  the  next  min- 
ute or  two.  Then  the  fountain-pen  began  to  scratch. 

'^ill  you  read  what  you've  written?"  I  whia- 
pered,  when  the  pen-scratching  came  to  an  end. 

"I  pve  and  bequeath  to  Wendy  Gruger  Wash- 
bum,  of  the  City  of  New  York,  State  of  New  York, 
Two  Htmdred  and  Fifty  Thousnnd  Dollars,  to  be 
paid  in  ca^  ool  of  estate  prior  to  ail  other 
daiiBSt'' 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  153 


Somethtiig  about  his  manner  of  reading  those 
words  made  me  distrust  him,  notwithstanding  the 
5act  that  on  this  occasion  Enoch  Bartktt  gave  vent 
to  his  fedmgs  in  a  groan  that  was  both  aoutfitirnng 
and  ptoloi^jed. 

"VfiSl  joa  be  so  good  as  to  let  me  see  that  amend- 
ments I  whi^ered,  looking  him  straight  in  the 
face. 

Instead  of  looking  bade  at  me,  his  watery  eye 
soi^t  aai^  tytoi  Ezra  Bartktt  The  old  wea- 
sel's iMe  became  even  moce  malignant  ^an  before. 
I  saw  hhn  make  a  sadden  sign  to  Doctor  KUi^. 
I  had  no  way  of  knowing  wbsA  tiiat  sign  meant 
But  I  reached  down  under  my  crested  sheet  and 
took  fifn%  hold  of  the  Sheffidd^ftote  candlestick 
tfimr^odng.  It's  ^  wqr  a  gi»«na>  I  ni|pew> 
readies  for  his  antomatk,  when  he  sees  danger 
aronnd  the  next  torn.  And,  I  dbckkd,  one 
jost  as  wdl  he  hanged  f  or  a  die^  M  a  bol^ 

Whatever  mowmsnt  Doelor  KBnger  nngr  have 
intflided  to  cwny  out  was  totorupted,  kowevir,  If 
the  aooBd  of  a  faidc  and  angry  voioe  ont^  the 
hedraomdoor.  TUswas  foBowcdhyotesomid^ 

immistafcaHyyioseof  S<Mii*My» 
I  ^on^y  realised,  was  trymg  to  cater  that  room, 


154     THE  HOUSE  OF-  INTRIGUE 

else  tffp^  equalty  detennined  to  prevenl  &st 
cntnuwc* 

But  die  comlMit  nmrt  k«v«  been  a  brief  one,  for  a 
moment  later  Ae  door  was  ihing  op«i,  followed  1^ 

the  undignified  cati^Iting  into  Ae  room  of  the 
bi^  in  tiie  crimson-rambler  i^pard*  The  cause 
of  that  unceferoonious  entrwioe  followed  dose 
bdund.  I  could  make  out  Ae  burfy  AouMers  of  a 
ytrj  irate  young  men  hi  a  dieck  tweed  mik  whkA 
fitted  him  as  though  he  bad  been  melted  and  pocaed 
into  it  I  couM  tSto  see,  even  hi  iSM  unoertam 
light,  that  he  wore  a  nedctie  as  brif^  m  bae  as  the 
crimson-rambler  Imidcerixxicers  which  be  had  so 
recently  outraged.  But  before  I  could  pteen  abow 
for  a  better  view  of  hhn  be  strode  in  across  Ae  room 
and  elbowed  bodi  Esra  Bardelt  and  TbeoiMdd 
Scripps  from  thew*  pbices  bedde  that  fomr-posler. 

*Wicre's  Cnairef  he  peren^torily  and  some- 
what breathlessly  demanded, 

It  was  plain  that  he  was  a  Luranger  to  them  aH 
But  he  was  w>  stranger  to  me,  from  tite  momeitt  I 
first  heard  that  rich  brogue.  I  knew  it  was  Phdcy 
McQonc  speaking.  And  die  nqrstf  v  >f  phdgr 
McGone's  presence  in  that  house  brou^.  me  dtthig 
straight  up  between  my  crested  dieete. 

*mere's  Clairer'  he  repeated,  ui  a  TOkc  whfck 


THB  BQiUSS  W  INTHIGUE  155 


was  dearly  a  Celtic  challenge  to  any  one  who  cared 
openly  to  deny  him  that  information. 

"Who  are  you?"  piped  out  old  Enoch  Bartlett, 
in  a  voice  shrill  with  resentment 

Pinky  squared  about  on  him.  And  I  must  admit 
that  he  looked  magnificent,  that  youthful  ex-river 
pirate  with  the  fire  of  Irish  anger  in  his  sky-blue 
eye.  But  it  was  Doctor  Klinger  who  next  advanced 
to  the  charge. 

"What  do  you  want  here?"  inquired  the  man  of 
medicine  as  he  rounded  the  bed. 

"I  want  the  woman  I'm  going  to  marry,"  sten- 
toriously  announced  Pinky  McClone,  "the  woman 
you're  all  trying  to  keep  away  from  me!" 

The  three  old  men  by  this  time  were  trying  to 
edge  in  between  Pinky  and  me.  But  with  one  sweep 
of  his  life-guard  arm  he  sent  that  frail-legged  trio 
scattering.  Then  he  flung  back  the  oartaint  that 
screened  me  from  the  vulgar  world. 

I  blinked  at  him,  with  my  face  twisted  up,  for  it 
might  be  painful,  I  remembered*  to  hm  Pialgr 
recognize  me. 

Thanks  to  the  uncertain  light  ami  my  tombstone 
make-up  he  showed  no  promise  of  any  such  intelli- 
gence. Disgust,  in  fact,  was  abom  ^  I  ootdd  ite 


196     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"This  isn't  my  Claire  I"  he  announced,  with  a 
heavy  frown  of  perplexity. 

"Of  course  it  isn't  your  Claire  1"  old  Enoch  Bart- 
lett  piped  out,  as  he  kept  dancing  excitedly  about 
close  behind  the  massive  intruder.  On  Miss  Led- 
widge's  face,  as  she  stared  at  this  intruder,  I  saw 
genuine  alarm.  She  edged  away,  slow  step  by  step, 
until  she  rounded  the  bed.  Then  she  slipped  quietly 
out  through  the  inner  door. 

"Who  let  this  madman  in  here?"  Ezra  Bartlett 
shrilly  and  angrily  demanded.  "Where  are  those 
fools  of  servants?  Why  doesn't  somebody  get  a 
policeman?" 

But  Pinky  McOone  was  in  no  way  disturbed  by 
liitae  tWn-noted  challenges.  He  strode  across  the 
room,  topped  at  the  stm  open  door  and  swung 
about. 

"Don't  think  you  can  get  away  with  it,  you  purse- 
proud  bunch  of  snobs,"  he  bellowed  out.  "You  may 
keep  me  away  from  her  to-day,  but  you  won't  be 
doing  it  to-morrow.  And  mark  my  words  on  that  I" 

And  having  delivered  himself  of  that  enigmatic 
tnessafe,  he  turned  about  and  walked  majestically 
out  through  the  door,  slammsng  it  after  him. 

This  inflammatory  interruption,  apparently,  was 
too  ntocfa  for  the  sheep  who  had  been  kept  herded 


THE  mfUSE  OB  IMTSiGUS  tW,, 


•o  long  at  the  far  end  of  the  room.  As  they  sarged 
excitedly  forward  Doctor  Klinfer  forced  mtt  bodily 
and  none  too  gently  down  b^ween  my  coverings. 

"This  can't  possibly  go  on,"  he  said  over  his 
shoulder,  as  he  held  "I  can't  allow  it 

It  may  prove  fatal,  at  any  moment  It'»--tft  Ofd^ 
taxing  the  poor  girl's  rttength  1" 

He  looped  close  over  me,  wi^  a  food  grip  oa 
my  MID,  for  he  seemed  to  be  uncertain  as  to  just 
what  toy  next  movement  might  be.  He  even 
screened  me  from  those  peering  eyes  by  stooping 
still  lower,  making  a  pretense  of  listening  to  my 
heart  As  he  did  so  I  quietly  tickled  a  &p  of  his 
dewy  chin  with  the  hey  edge  of  my  pilkiw-slip. 
And  lor  l3im  1m  ^^htened  h»  grip  oa  tof  ami  oottl 

squumecL  1  was^  m  xaety  jwc  gcwBRf  icaogr  w 
use  my  laogs.  ^\Ad  he  nitttst'SHKve  aafefic^j^afeed  tbat 
actioB  oil  asy  part  £or'  tiie  'Ocsct  iBomtst  he  dHit^off 
fi^ierfli^  hoot  by  phcing  <Mie  <^  1^  big  hwdi 
sqnaiay  over  Bqr  iBOwn.  abii  whu  bw  uuisi  nam 
he  stiB  hdd  me  ISee  a  vise.  Asd  diat  was  more 

I'Siflil'ia  iiim'ile  dl-aiRp-aitMttitfb^'-'^E3aip 


158   THE  HousB  OF  nmmm 


There  was  an  uneasy  stir  about  the  room,  but  I 
paid  small  attention  to  that,  for  I  had  mort  wmom 
things  to  think  of. 

I  began  to  have  a  convulsion  of  the  real  sort, 
just  about  that  time,  for  my  big  doctor  had  taken  a 
h^rpodermic  from  his  pocket  and  was  doing  his  best 
to  get  the  business-end  of  it  somewhere  into  the 
fleshy  part  of  my  shoulder.  And  I  didn't  intend  to 
stand  for  any  needl**  "'umping.  I  be|^  to  fi|^  in 
earnest  then,  to  fight  like  a  wild-cat. 

"This  looks  bad,  very  bad !"  I  could  hear  him  say 
in  a  somewhat  strangled  voice,  for  it  was  taking 
about  all  his  strength  to  hold  me  down  and  at  the 
same  time  keep  one  fat  hand  over  my  mouth.  And 
while  he  was  doing  thisi  since  he  insisted  on  thrust- 
ing that  gross  thumb  of  his  against  my  mouth,  I 
dosed  my  teeth  on  it.  And  I  didn't  make  it  a  half- 
hearted bite,  either.  It  at  least  showed  him  that  I 
was  in  ^^ting  form.  For  I  could  hear  him  wadr 
denly  gasp  to  the  others  ck>se  behind  him. 

"For  God's  sake  get  these  people  away  1  Get  'cm 
out  <^  here  before  something  happens  1" 

I  could  hear  Esra  Bartktt's  thtn-voked  can- 

TkmwmM  tenfltef  oi  leet  and  a  movement  to- 
waai  iSm  door.  Bat  X  searotiy  knew  mhm  tet 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  159 


motley  throng  had  been  herded  ott^  for  about  that 
time  I  was  having  troubles  of  my  own.  Both  Ezra 
and  Enoch  Bartlett  had  co'  >  Doctor  Klinger't 
he^  and  were  doing  their  jc.  :o  hold  me  down. 
They  weren't,  however,  having  things  all  their  own 
way.  rd  broken  tiie  pcnnt  off  the  hypodermic 
needle,  wni  as  tiiese  two  <^  derelicts  pawed  and 
wheezed  about  me  I  nanafed  to  butt  Ezra  in  the 
midriC  Tins  bowled  him  over  agunsfc  the  wrttinf- 
table  and  ssat  both  fuU  length  on  the  floor. 

Then  I  stMd  td  Aaw  Brodier  Enodi  and  that 
fat-faced  doctor  jtist  what  I  could  do  in  Ae  ju-jutia 
line.  Once  I'd  siyiifiued  out  d  thnr  dtilA»  I  knew 
I  couki  makf  t^*tf^^  kilHWi^Hig  wttft  ^bat  ^^cffidd* 
pkite  ftntHtttifk  of  nime. 

i^m^  were  miBe  JuweaDHpt  nowwery  ny  ijuub 
another  event  It  was  iSm  hurried  and  uBCxpected 

ran  mto.&e  room  witit  her  Qpcs  wide  and  her  bres& 
comwig    stifled  lUtle  jeika. 

''Whi^  is  ft  ti^  timer  dd  Em,  onee  more 
cm  his  feet* 

"The  bo#^t  foaer  At  giipd,  as  she  sank 

Dodnr  Kfiumr  tafBid  (doirfr  i^KKit  I&  hnad 
was  stSB  on  Of  warn,  hot  tfw  ftHisioB  of  Ui  ingen 


ItiO     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTiaGUE 


t^kxtA,  and  hit  lowtr  jaw  fill  away,  at  ]rott  flay 
luife  Men  tfw  jaw  of  a  dead  man  fall 
**Gomr*  ht  edioad,  Harinf  at  tiia  wlitte-facad 

BUfWi 

rrke  bod/i  fooer  tbt  r^eatod,  widi  a  hopekat 
Me  moaa  that  mii^  have  meant  aof^bif. 

Ifa  foeer  trenmkNtsiy  qoeried  ttm  old  weasel, 
alowly  wtieatiiif  toward  tiw  omtiuued  table. 
^'Gonewiierey* 

''Gone  horn  where  I  carried  k!  Gone  from  this 
homc^"  waa  the  aomewhat  itardiiif  anawcr. 

The  three  men,  ^  h|i  ^  one  and  the  two  ihriv^ 
<ded  19  little  oiiea,  atooifegardtag  one  another  hi  a 
ao(t  of  awed  and  heavy  aOenee.  Then,  atill  wi&ool 
spealdng,  fbey  tamed  and  foQowed  Ae  tmilonaed 
woman  oat  Ihroagh  the  door,  itnmifd.  wfpunasSj, 
by  behig  ashed  to  bdicfa  Aa  nidi^evablet 


CHAPTER  NINE 


THE  moneat  the  room  wtt  ciour  of  llnft  pc«oe- 
cnpitd  qiMrtet  I  mw  nqr  duuMO.   It  inqr 
not  km  btcB  rnoch  of  a  ciliiiee,     I  (fidori  ifllHiA 

IWMOOlof  tb^MittOMiflmp^  IfMltOllM 


•tm  open  ImO  door,  to  doM  aai  lock  it»  for  I  WM 
figiiriiVOttatkMtai^itwt  Balofe Ifedtid 
tint  door,  iKMWvtr,  I  iltppitf  «at  krto 
•toddiif  l0et  Tko  piMtM  at  itai  » 

IMS  WBtMKBOHag  WUMM  A 

to 

awooitB^  iiCMb  irkko  at  a 
OMT  ^kt  ilair4atti|^  -  i^  mt 
a  yon^  £mO(  tat  a  troHfabd 
that  imctrtahi       ^  It  waa  a  iMi  triM  I  tad 
nevtrMOitafafc^  It  iiat  to  ^  aad  (ilntttii 
IconldMailSfiim 
my 

For  oMtaiaf  aMatat  %  itKcd  wiit6i^  d«»iiii  at 
lotf  asd 


as 


go  up  tkoiailiiiill  I  ooidd  ta^  it 

m 


162     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 
I  prampdy  twQiif  tlw  door  ilnl  and  locked  it  * 

And     next  was  opto  tir,  for  rd  l»d  about  cBooi^ 

of  tiiat  houw  of  mytteriei. 

I  mada  for  «lie  Mirooav  nawnbtring  the  paa- 
ngewaj  lined  with  dodmpwieei  saoHwliere  on 
the  other  side  of  it  Thoie  premi,  I  dadded,  ought 
to  ihow  tip  •omeehiof  better  then  a  cr«p»HJe-dtine 
nightgown  for  street  wear. 

I  was»  of  coarse,  stin  hi  stoekiBf  iiit,  so^ 
1117  flight  throoi^  the  birthrooai  was  aoiiaksw  I 
dosed  and  lodnd  its  door  bsUnd  ne,  to  ward  off 
Mif  surprises  from  ^fsar.  Thsn  Icr^««tnAe 
next  door,  openmg  it  as  qnietijr  as  I  eonld. 

Then  I  stood  sloeiMl^  For  I  I0MI&  flffitf 
confioBlsd  by  soniedih«  wiMi,  iar  a  mbtm  m 
two»  I  ooold  not  foto  oeanprdiend. 

Every  Vt^^  ^  foom  widi  its  OMMsNa  forai- 
tsre  and  its  sanptaiQS  sreSow  brocade  was  on  lofi. 
Biittiiatwasnottecaasef^ngreoBStemation,  for 
on  the  far  side  of  the  toon,  directly  tmder  tit  added 

glow  of  a  wa»4^  I  saw  a  woman  h^Ma*  w«i  • 
blade  hat  and  a  biadt^  rolled  «p  aroond  its  brias. 

jSCKOK  mSI^  OKI  wBSS  tCW,  BtMWW  f»  mmnmr  mtmmnu- 

bag.  On  her  1^^^  on  Ae  ft^  whera  iha  1mI|» 
an  ugly-looking  blue  bai  rahid  automatic. 


But  ahe  was  Uneify  interetted  in  neitlMr  of  these 
thinji,  at  Hm  amneiit  For  before  btr  elood  the 
open  door  of  a  wall-safe,  and  the  woman  was  in- 
tent^ tqgigid  ia  imraHigiUng  tfaa  eonlMia  of  Hiia 
safe. 

TkHut  was  sometUaf  so  Uwlnessiflre  about  htr 
movements  that  for  a  bsoombI  I  thought  she  muH 
ba  sona  official  from  an  appraiser's  oAoa  making 
out  a  list  of  the  assets  of  the  Bartlett  estate.  Ytt 
as  I  stood  tiiere  watching  har  I  nodeed  that  she  kept 
dropping  neatly  baadad  papara  faito  the  dub-bof 
bawda  Imt*  Than  caam  a  dnmifiid  of  jewalrjft 
stones  of  mnqr  ookinb  aoma  in  casesi  some  loose  in 
the  drawer,  a  string  of  pearls  in  a  square  of  blade 
velvet  a  kN^  and  slender  chained  lavaliere  wouad 
about  a  pad  of  soft  buckskin,  and  a  diamond  sun- 
burst in  a  IftUa  haidv  HaH  leeM  liha  a  tiiamnii 
bcx)d]e-bag. 

And  all  this  loot,  I  saw  as  I  stood  there,  was  briaf^ 
droppad  pffunp^l^  oalad^  iola  ^ihaopaa  IsatfMtf  • 
bag  on  tfie  rug^^d. 

I  didn't  laca  tha  leak  of  dist  woman  and  I  didnft 

lorlaUaf  dnaeaa. 

kHRMD  mOiKBBiSm  -flBOIft  ^IHB-  '  fl^KH'  X  SIDBS' 


164     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


■UWwSW*     •  WmSB  wRBI  BBS  imm  HMIVWQ  vw 

TImb  I  ffeooptd  Mid  IK  agr  hmA      oil  to  ttat 

ICR  DaHfy  OOOB  BMh  SVB  wm  ■  ni^  MHMb  m 

Mm  ttuMiuAM.  hflftteB  MMtt  wtan  tor  SiMidmr.. 
And  k  HM  loiM  witk  ft  M     of  MiM^ 

Tht  woma  in  front  of  tht  mIs  wiat  Mvnfljr 
OB  witk  Imt  nMk.  Than  At  npf  iit  tfip  fliib  luf 

ten.  I  oonid      Imt  cMtfaify  ir^  d»  mttii 

koBtM.  TUt  I  kaor  wBi  to  InMil  BPi^  aagr 
tikfiiiiBrptiali.  TtedMlooMioiNitolttfilg 

BBT  riglUI*    A  OTBNI  MB  BV  IfQIiB  ptlfHSBII^ 

Si»  Idt  afciBt  aie  iBMt  Bf  Iwr  Tiihi  Hihb4  itodA^ 
ftffl  fhnniii^  Aad  in  hiibiiiIiih  I  lutoii  nil 
dlis  BSbOBBI^iic  Ib  B^f  bttld  SBd  ttSlrfBld  tf^B  feBCvd 

*^taadiyricaMtioBtiliftt|iiy> 
SIm  cMBt  to  iiar  feet,  wMi «  jump  like  a  jadMn- 
Ae-boflc  fdcMCd  OB  its  wffit^.  Aad  toite  lUM  rito 


rai  B0IISB  OP  QITRKSUB  li6S 


It  WM  my  torn  to  gaip.  For  the  woman  I  stood 
staring  at  wat  Copperfiead  Kate  herself. 

"So  you're  sloughin'  this  beat  toor*  she  said, 
before  I  had  time  to  speak.  There  was  something 
mof*  tiMA  andadty  on  her  face.  It  was  more  than 
antagonism;  it  was  hatred.  So  I  made  it  a  point 
to  keep  the  antomatic  still  leveled  in  her  direction. 

•*What  ut  you  doing  here?"  I  demanded,  with  a 
hand-wave  toward  the  dub-bag  on  the  rug-end. 

She  laughed  a  hard  and  reckless  laugh. 

"Playing  about  the  nme  game  that  you're  trying 
to  play,"  wa»  her  brasen  retort  as  she  viewed  me 
and  my  flimv  iWMeL   "But  stiU  sleeping  home  r 

I  ^dn't  wony  0W  her  one-tided  smile,  for  I 
.<!ve?  did  possess  one  of  those  three-ring  brains 
■'.at  fflwld  all  keep  buagr  at  the  same  time.   And  I 
lad  DDiiiiilirarT  tlimkmg  to     it  tfail  pH^kalar 
moment. 

"Well,  I  guess  you  can  get  ready  to  play  my  game 
fcr  n  littk  whili  "  I  told  her  quite  casually.  But  I 
kfcpt  the  gun  wimt  it  I  had  rtzson  enough 

for  hating  that  woman.  I  oouUn't  help  hating  her. 
Aaddus  was  the  first  ttme  in  ny  Ule  I  didn't  have 
to  play  second  fiddle  to  her. 

"Wk^  mmr*  aha  dwnandrd    Her  HBoky 


166     THS  HOUSE  OF  INTKiGUB 


green  eyes  were  staring  at  me  sharply  enough  bj 

this  time. 

'This  sleeping  sickness  game,"  I  retorted.  'Tor 
I've  had  about  my  fUl  of  it  I" 

"What  d'you  mean?"  she  asked,  studying  my 
face  and  plainly  showing  she  didn't  like  the  kwk 
of  it. 

"I  mean  you've  got  to  take  off  that  hat  and  dress/' 
I  told  her  without  a  quaver. 
"When?" 
"Right  away." 
"Why?" 

"Because  I  need  'em  in  my  business.  So  peel  off, 
Katie,  before  the  ugly  side  of  my  disposition  gets  to 
shooting  off  its  fire-works." 

"You're  kiddin'!"  protested  Copperhead  Kate, 
hacking  away  a  little. 

I  was  right  beside  her  in  a  jiffy  and  I  had  the 
gun-barrel  ckwe  up  between  two  of  her  coract- 
steels. 

"You  get  off  that  dress  V*  I  told  her,  and  I  said  it 
as  though  I  meant  it.  She  stared  into  my  face  for 
several  seconds.  Then  she  kwked  aidewtM  at  tlM 
club-bag. 

"How  about  that  ?"  she  had  the  nerve  to  nil,  with 
a  movement  toward  her  bagful  of  loot 


THB  ^OUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  W 


It  was  my  turn  at  btt;  and  I  let  her  know  it 
"Thaf  •  not  what  you're  here  to  worry  about 
Your  present  trouble  is  whether  you  take  that  dresa 
off  while  you're  ftill  warm  or  I  take  it  off  belore 
you  get  coldl" 
Once  more  she  gave  me  the  benefit  of  her  studious 

green  eyes. 

"Then  you  get  that  gun  away  from  my  ribs,"  she 
said,  for  I  had  made  my  stare  quite  as  belligerent  as 
her  own.   And  T  had  the  hardware  to  back  it  up. 

"Not  on  your  life,"  I  tokl  her.  But  I  kt  her 
back  away  a  foot  or  two. 

"And  then  what've  I  got  to  do?"  she  asked,  as 
she  took  out  her  hat-pins  and  tossed  the  hat  into  a 
yellow  brocaded  chair  beside  her. 

"You're  going  to  put  on  this  nice  silk  mf^aiM  and 
go  to  bed,"  I  told  her. 

•To  bed?" 

"Yes,  to  bed." 

"Where?"  she  demanded,  with  a  Umk  of  incre- 
dulity. 

"In  the  swcllcst  bedroom,"  I  retorted,  "that  you 
ever  stretched  out  in." 
I  wasn't  iorry  to  s«e  that  she  was  bcginninf  to 

unpeel. 

"I  di^'t  comt  here  w  alnlch  out  in  as^  bed," 


she  protested  with  vigor.  But  she  flung  her  Umk 
waist  down  beside  the  Made  hat  on  the  chair. 

I  was  outside  of  my  flesh-colored  nightie  in  om 
wriggle.  And  the  next  mmute  I  had  the  satisfac^ 
tion  of  beholding  Coppotod  Kite  milkafy 
out  of  her  skirt 

It  surprised  me  a  little,  to  see  her  fall  into  line 
that  easy.  But  I  had  no  time  to  aik  qimtioas.  I 
wanted  to  get  aw^r  froB  ti«t  hoam,  mod  grt  awaj 
in  a  hurry. 

"Now  climb  into  this  nij^t-dresa,"  I  commanded 
as  I  pounced  on  that  precious  pile  of  clothing  and 
backed  away  until  two-tiiirds  of  the  room  stood  be- 
tween us.  For  it's  no  easy  thing  to  get  into  •driirt 
and  handle  an  automatic  at  the  same  time; 

But  neither  of  us  spoke  wlil  the  liit  nap  was 
done  up.  And  a  big  wa:vt  of  rnnideiwe  cune  back 
to  me  as  I  felt  that  apparel  oaee  aon  about  me, 

whether  it        or  lit.  H  MUHi  ilml  Hgi*- 

hearted. 

"Now  come  and  go  by-byT  wae  my  tthmiibam 
coomaad  to  Copperhead  Kate,  if  I  biBkil  wmf 
leward  the  door  and  unlocked  k.  Mm  mmf  mm 
ment  of  the  tone  I  kept  my  eft  mi  M  0mm9f9A 

kdy  with  the  undtdMory  body  mrrfmimf^' 


listened  at  the  bathroom  door  for  a  moment  beftm 
turning  the  key  in  the  lock. 

"I  have  paid  for  itt"  I  announced,  ignoring  the 
venom  in  her  voice.  For  I  had  too  many  troubles, 
just  then,  to  give  much  time  tg>  that  gnanytd  gnip 
moll's  foolish  threats. 

The  big  rose  and  gold  bedroom,  I  noticed  as  I 
stepped  gaardedly  into  it,  was  still  empty.  So  I 
ushered  the  sulkn-eyed  and  languid-moving  lady  ta 
the  crepe-de-chine  m^-dress  into  its  splendors. 

She  lodced  the  room  over  with  a  hostile  eye. 
Then  she  timied  to  me,  f rowmng  with  perplexity. 

"What  are  you  trying  to  steer  me  into,  anyway?" 
she  demanded,  as  I  pointed  silently  but  meaningly 
toward  the  trig  four-poater.  But  she  bttsayed  no 
immediate  intaatioa.  ol  dUbkng  IMmmi  Amb 
crested  she^ 

"Listm  to  ■Hi^''  I  Mid.  "for  my  time  ia  abort*' 

wiwilfaig  tapHnL 

"WeB,  Acy  may  get  worse,  if  tiMf^a  teied  too 
kat4,"  I  wtnmi  her.  with  a  show  of  anger.  "But 
H  you're  wne  yo«Tl  cdfaaMiM»  tial  IhA  hMmmI  tHi 
— ehtndrtifcr 

"I  pf«lvil^piiifliit«f  il,"  WM  her  iiiiBm  mart 


170     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"Becwtse  iff  yonr  only  chanet  of  i  fefwt]^**  I 
XTWO  lO  rupiiin  fo  ncT. 
•*Otte  gnwd  little  way  of  hittii^  Ac  pBc^  in"! 

w»   MM  WOCMfl,   S^'wd  *0  DM  MS  QrHBIing  yOv ft 

on  a  ttett  for  Eofope?^ 

I  wMi  jPM  ia  HMt  bed  r 
**Aod  hoir  do  I  know  what's  going  to  waOc  in  on 
Bier    oMHMKwa  hUu  aH^HaoinHmHiaaa  vunor* 
Birt  I  loMw  Irm  tlMt  ^ttitiaii  tiHt  fitt  was  bcgiiH 

'IMMAf  waBc  is  on  yaa,"  I  tried  to  anofe 
■v»  ^anva  a  im  wanni  H^ipoieii  to  oe  in  mat 

^^H^  •     •  • 

"mM,  liiat  flHWt  be  flM^"  ate  cot  in*  "lor  lUt 
mltole  bn^Hai  ndn  me  good  Mid  fidtr* 

yov  tiifow  iSbt  blttff  of  bdqg  arfeep  jwi 
can  stiQr  Acre  witS  iwowiiH^  if  yoo       lo^  or  st 
least  oaia  yoar  dWMe  of  a  frt-Mgr  aboiia  opk" 
Am       aPB  JOB  gomg  lo  oor^ 
nrinf a  aqr  own  busfinsi,**  I  pranp^  told  bcr, 
lor  I  aoiM  sea  Aat  wa  were  o^if  naa^Bg  ^facioMS 

9ia  aaddeniy  started  to  ini|^  aa  sitt  aimed  acraea 
fOMB  flt  nw*  But  tittt  Imi^i  of  fa0S  wtt  ribotil 


Tm  HOUSE  or  iktsigue  m 


"I  {uess  you  didn't  cruise  with  old  Bud  Griswold 
without  learning  a  few  of  hit  lush-dip  tricksr'  sht 
said  with  a  shrug  that  was  meant  to  be  insulting. 

*^iM  acadn't  drag  a  dead  man  into  this,"  I  told 
her,  and  my  voice  shook  a  little  as  I  said  it 

"A  dead  nan?"  she  echoed,  staring  at  ne  widi 
half  doMd  C9M^  Then  she  laughed  again,  remem- 
bering, I  Nppose,  that  I  could  amr  fnla  l«Vit 
what  had  caused  that  death. 

I  c6idd  aea  diat  she  was  about  to  speak  again,  but 
she  fnm  into  wddw  mkaet,  arrested  by  the  dis- 
turbing ditfoniy  liwt  some  one  from  the  outside 
had  pUMr^iM  toopn  the  door  that  led  to  the  hall 
I  CMdd  Mt  iHT  fmn  eyes  fixed  meditative^  on  the 
turativ  doortmdbi  But  I  didn't  wait  for  more.  I 
didn't  mdttotta  II  iht  wtodiid  that  deor,  or  il  ilM 
got  kite  ^  loaf<iMltr,  or  if  Ae  began  to  daw  dit 
tapo^  im  AtwaBi.  I  mtum  d,  when  the  wigr 
for  ntmt  m  ttiH  opOL  I  bMk  into  Hit 

faathnxn,tw«af  tlMdoortiHitawik)ckedit.  Umi 
I  madt  for  At  aaat  dQtr»  aad  rtpitiid  Hw  Ofm* 
ttioi^ 

Whm  l  gat  to  ^  maidap  Ib  yditir  >f  nwiiii. 
door*  aad  irfn  4m  pMil  oi  tt/ntd  mImpmq^-  Iteift 


172     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTIUGUE 


The  dub-bag  was  still  there.  I  paused  long 
enough  to  open  it  and  make  sure  that  it  still  held 
Copperhead  Kate's  hauL  Then  I  caught  it  up  and 
made  for  the  next  room.  I  stopped  aefy  kmg 
enough  in  the  paasafeiroy  to  swing  open  one  of  the 
press  doors,  natch  up  a  pair  of  suede  slippers  that 
stood  there,  «id  stick  a  foot  into  one  of  them  to 
make  sore  Hmj  would  fit.  Then  I  tucked  tlHn 
away  under  my  arm,  for  I  knew  better  than  to  wear 
shoes  during  my  transit  over  thoee  pottshed  hwd- 
wood  floors.  I  wanted  my  advance  to  be  a  silent 
one,  for  iieaven  alone  knew  what  I  m^^  fannp  into 
before  I  got  down  to  the  street-entrance  once  more. 

As  I  madeaqr  way  on  through  those  hesfify  fur* 
nished  room*  however,  1  found  them  «np^. 
When  I  crept  out  to  the  hall,  too,  I  wm  coafiomoa 
by  aothinff  bat  solitude.  I  didn't  altofitherMkt^ 
•odden  silence  that  had  fallen  over  tint  hmti  U 
seemed  ominous.  I  didn't  like  it  any  more  Htm  I 
liked  the  thought  of  that  gMtiy  face  trfdch  had 
■tared  down  over  the  stahrwreifiof  tt  ma.  I  had 
■2ways  prided  myself  on  behif  a  good.  htrd4MtM, 
matler-of-laet,  pnctiol-miaded  ghi  I  «■§  never 
strong  on  the  ^pook  staff,  at  Bad  had  onre  Mknowl> 
edffsd.  But  there  wws  too  maay  myHailai  onder 

roof  to  keep  me  thire  «9  loi^  tei  I  ooidd 


THB  muss  or  nrriK^  its 


lidp.  I  wanted  to  fet  where  70a  ooiskl  hear  the 
rBttle  W  •  Mirfaoe  car  and  tec  decent  every-day  dt* 
ijMi  i»abo«fe  OA  their  decent  every-day  business. 

So,  with  my  suede  shoes  still  wider  my  arm,  I 
stole  akmg  the  stair-hetd,  Hoffi^g  tvHir  Pwwent  to 
l^leii  wad  look  back. 

Then,  tread  by  polished  tread.  I  went  down  the 
flight  of  steps  that  lay  belon  flM»  with  th«  bag  k 
agr  hand  and  my  heart  in  my  mouth. 

MitiUIdite'tseeaiignolltle.  There  wam't 
a  ttaea  of  liOMiii  maid,  or  footman,  or  butler  in  crim- 
iOA-CBtoMer  get-up.  It  was  like  going  down  through 
catacombs.   And  I  realized,  as  I  started  oq 
hal  I  itiU  had  «BO(har  flight  of  stairs  to  go 
ttam  I  wii  iwi  <m  street-leveL   It  was  a  tng 
And  k  umj  ham  been  fitted  up  like  a  ducal 
im   Bat  I'd  had  all  I  wanted  of  it. 
I  fel  4aam  IIm  iaMiiMi||iMii Jtairs,  aad  was  ta 
what  flHHttefve  been  a  sart  of 
tfM  int  mmm  oflil»e»^  that 
aara.  Towaii^^  feont  oi  iSmhOt 
Mia  doofa  of  piBia  gbis  backed  by 
and  i^fflad  hy  icrol^wotk  of  wrought 
■niMshnifr  mn  iilaiBli  eeote  in 
aoOpib        wasBan*  wm  • 
idlitflwtilteaiafiitofliil  iliini  wlgi^hfc  X 


And 


m   THE  Houiac  w  nmtiGUB 


■Midt  SB  Anncttt  K^inm  divt  |Imni|^  •  mm^ 
rower  door  on  my  ri|^  into  ivImI  ffwad  to  bt  a 
cloak-room.  I  fwuQf  Hit  doer  4Mk  ^lir  aad 
dkfai't  evn  dare  to  look  out  WmlmMhmritm 
itept  hnrty  by,  load  on  the  htrdiwiod  ioor  and  wft 
on  the  rugB. 

I  knew  it  was  a  man  who  had  cone  in,  and  oone 
in  hi  a  htirrjr.  So  I  waM  there  wlB  tiK 
house  was  quiet  afahi,  an  idea  cane  to  om^  and  I 
begyn  to  enphaa  tit  cla^  went  I  did  it  ewtifel| 
b)r  the  senee  li  tondi.  I  leit  and  padded  itart 
aawnpt  the  doltev  hMigfaif  there  nntfi  I  <fiee0*^ 
eredalM-attl^HndsonseaL  I  tookltdMRiaBd 
tried  it  en.  It  at  kast  itied  a  ^  heller  tei  did 
CdpiMfeead  Kate's  blade  dehi  And  a  beoc  eoal  of 
IMnn  seal,  I  told  nfeeil,  oeidd  eover  a  flMMtnde 
of  ahis.  So  I  pot  on  the  enede  shots,  took  np  mf 
bag.  and  crept  oi;tt  into  ^haH  There  was  nolhh« 
hi  s^  and  not  a  aoond  to  be  heard. 

I  tried  to  move  wMtont  noiee^  hot  my  hsttt  was 
once  more  m  my  throat  as  I  flipped  out  to  Mm  street 
door,  opened  it»  and  onoe  more  Uk  the  fresh  air  on 
mj  face. 

It  was  so  nneonmioiify  good  to  M  I  aeafacfy 
nottosd  Hie  Isel  dmt  a  ine  m  iidii«;  Par 
IS  I  ewonff  tfm  ppffled  door  toltijr  shot  behhrf  me  I 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  175 


luMiv  tint  X  WM  tedk  fat  iIm  iporii  ^  ffHifldHi  tack 
in  tiM  Imd  9i  MM  wd  timftlt  pMfii  'tt^ftf^  m 
iMrmmudwuMBmMk.  It  mumi  Bta  <nj^ 

mare  of  wiMned  old  adMff  nd  ivWit-iiMd  i^Mli 
and  miinng  bodkt  and  n^Hiiied  w«S-wlet«iid  yd- 
kw-lMtd  kmytn  wWi  indoiitiaf  Adiahi  iglM. 

Y«t  I  stood  tfMM  for  a  ndaolt  or  Ivio  oi  flit 
iMwe  ttept,  naldng  Mwt  Itat  tiM  ooMt  woo  €i«r. 
Ttan  I  tMnhBj  atowod  Cofpotaad  K^m  hlm' 
tafftlcd  autoBiatic  in  ^bt  ovuMMipic  taioin  of  iie^ 
hbOL  mtM,  f»tato  it  ptoaipl^  newndto  tang  Ha  ft 
tnill-tleiie  about  ngr  bbcIl  X  itfB  matid  tint  goo 
wim  I  eootd  ftt  itt  it,  Iwwtvtr,  lor  I  iaidaot  liBr» 
fOttM  wlwt  I  tad  ovtrlHOfd  at  to  tta  f owHIIHIm 
Of  a  ctftain  viBCina  am  ma  yaiiiww  ■nw^  - 

Bat  teo  «M  ptainfy  ao  GMdrin  te  riglil^  oo  X 
took  a  deq^  brv^k,  droppad  tta  vaB  ataNt  aqr  ki^ 
(fai^  md  itwtid  dawB  tiha  widaoiCBio  itipi*  - 

I  nadnd  dM  aidnnlc  mad  twnad  wtiiMd.  X 
BKwa  nisitcd  I  ii^poM  dHHi  I  fuMigimd*  BtA 
X  was  not  oatdtad  tBom^  to  expect  iidMKt  iHifpaMd 
to  me  taf ora  I  kod  tdtas  twenty  stepa  do«f  tfiit  Wit 
ikiewae.  1^  aa  I  iMid  dikpk«  adH  and 
aqidnted  tip  tkremgh  my  mA  iaMta-'ltit  »t  mf 
taarings,  /  saw  a  ghost 


IH    TBE  SOOSS  OF  WTE 


Mil 


I  saw  that  ghott  there  in  ImoI  oiwm,9»  plainly 
as  though  it  had  been  a  real  man,  a  man  of  flesh  and 
blood.   And  it  was  the  ghost  of  Bud  Griswol^ 
■ot  the  old  Bud  as  I  had  known  him,  but  a  siiiihiB 
eyed  and  spectral  and  ihadovMikt  tWqii  of  him. 

For  one  brief  mnmel,  at  he  passed  under  m 
street-lamp^  those  minhsn  tgfis  looked  at  me  hesi- 
tatingly, accusingly,  even  repraadtfnlfy.  AaA  tiMk 
was  about  all  I  remembered. 

For  I  knew,  then,  that  that  somewhat  busy 
had  been  a  little  too  much  for  me.   I  found 
iiqnag  off  across  the  pookd  asphalt  of  tfw 
street,  without  knowing  I  was  doing  il^  Ite  mmm  m 
a  frightened  colt  shies  at  a  shadow. 

<Tm  getting 'inr  I  fMpad  001  load,  "fmsm- 

ing  things!" 

I  tried  to  huigh.  But  my  tfmat  wat  toe  tight 
So  I  did  the  next  best  thing.  I  began  to  ran. 

I  don't  think  I'd  foot  fifty  iaet  b^ova  I  weha  «f 
to  the  fact  that  <aM  of  my  i 
It  hud  fitted  aoattaewaB.  Aadtnmm 
ook,  hi  a  panic  oHi aonaliatt  cast nibot. 

Itamtdbad^toiatwlwfatesiioaiiia.  Aal 
itood  theiv  blifllfng  thtpti|^      nlob  ft  doMd  chp 
Itoa 


BOUSE  CP  QIMQCT 

Hello,  CindeitlUr'  I  heard  a  nan's  Toiet  attt 
•ut,  at  the  door  of  this  car  iwunf  open. 

I  ttill  ttood  there  on  one  foot,  like  a  wet  crane, 
ttaring  in  at  tha  ihidowj  figoit.  Bol  I  did  not 

"Are  you  going  far?"  the  tame  voice  asked  me. 
It  was  plainly  a  polite  question,  politely  put  But 
this  tinM  it  was  not  the  question,  but  something  in 
the  timbre  of  the  voice  itself,  that  caused  me  to  lean 
forward  and  stare  in  over  the  nmning-board  so 
dose  to  my  bedraggled  coat  of  Hudson  seal  For 
it  was  my  Hero-Man  himself  who  had  ^oken  to  me. 

I  continued  to  stare  at  him,  a  littla  rtlitfid  aid  al 
tfie  same  time  a  little  puxsled. 

"I  don't  know  yet,"  I  told  him,  with  a  curt  hmgh. 
"But  I'm  on  my  way."  And  I  noticed,  for  the  first 
time,  that  he  was  hokling  a  filfatr  acggy  kuiklng 
suede  shoe  in  his  hand. 

"Then  you'll  surely  let  me  fNa  ym  %  Wh,"  kt 
laid,  as  cod  as  a  cucumber. 

I  heard  footsteps  behind  me,  and  that  decided  tfie 
tfUng.  I  gathered  vp  my  box  coat  tails  ai^  the 
over-fun  black  skirts,  and  climbed  into  the  cuv  Ha 
closed  the  door  as  the  car  alaflad  lorward. 

*Yos  doA't  wmumkK  mm^  m^m^  ha 


MICROCOPY  RESOLUTION  TEST  CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


^     /APPLIED  IIVHGE  Inc 

1653  East  Main  Street 
Rochester.  Neo  York      14609  USA 
(716)  W  -  0300  -  Phone 
(716)  268  -  5989 -Fo» 


178     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

]oc4dag  down  sfc  die  blade  cltib4ng  whidi  I  wu 
nursmg  on  mjr 

"Oh,  yts,  1  do/'  I  ttad,  resenttt^  the  toudi  of 
mockery  tliat  teemed  to  be  in  hU  Toke.  "For  I'v* 
just  been  trying  to  wiU  you  o  quarter  of  a  miOum 
doUarsi" 

That  made  him  sit  19).  I  imagined  that  it  would. 
"And  I  hope  yott  moeeeded,"  he  said,  with  a  queer 
little  laugli. 

"It  wasn't  mjr  fault  tint  I  didn%''  I  told  him, 
realizing  for  the  first  time  that  I  was  both  tired  and 
hmgry.  I  began  to  see  f  or  tiie  first  tune,  too^  what 
a  strain  I'd  beoi  nnder,  for  the  hat  two  or  three 
hotvs.  I  felt  like  a  whale  who'd  OMne  to  breathe^ 
And  it  was  pretty  comfdrtiible  in  that  big  padded 
seat,  purring  safely  through  the  city  streets  dose 
beside  a  man  yon  wonoi't  a  bit  afraid  of. 

"And  having  failed  in  diat  diaritalde  eff<»t,  what 
was  yonr  n»t  to  be?"  he  inquired. 

**I  was  going  to  lope  for  a  hmdiery,"  I  told  him» 
^1  again  finding  a  sort  of  perverse  joy  in  keying 
my  Eiq^Ush  »  dose  to  the  talk  of  Iht  ui^erworki  as 
I  ccnild. 

He  laughed  again,  easily  and  lazily. 
"Then  why  xk^  take  pity  on  my  desdation  and 
have  supper  witii  me?"  he  asked. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  179 


Til  gMwer  that  qaotioii  when 
of  nke,"  I  told  him. 

"Agfted**'  he  said.  "BtA  it  would  be  better,  per- 
haps, il  yon  put  dus  our* 

He  was  holding  my  shoe  in  hi«  hand. 

"What  were  you  domg  on  that  sirset  whan  joa 
stopped  there  beside  me?"  I  asked,  as  I  took  ^ 
snsde  shoe  from  hhn  and  slipped  my  foot  into  it 

He  laimfaed  again.  I  couhfai't  help  envying  him 
his  ease  and  coofaiess,  tiioui^  I  couldn't  qtiite  fadiom 
die  source  of  his  amusement 

1  was  decorously  on  my  way  to  the  Hamtton, 
where  my  present  apartment  happens  to  be,  and 
whidier  we  are  ^  tilts  moment  duly  proceeding.** 

"And  you  think  I  make  a  habit  of  eating  supper 
with  men  m  dieir  i^artmento?"  I  inquired,  with 
d^^ty. 

''Wl^  not,  if  duly  chaperonedr  he  asked,  with  a 
pointed  stare  at  the  black  bag  which  I  held  on  my 
knees. 

"Who's  ^  cfaaperonn  asked. 

He  stiffened  a  little  at  the  cnrtness  of  my  tone. 

*1  may  be  outrageous,  you  know,  but  my  family 
reaBy  consider  tfaemseWes  irreproachable." 

Ifeltthathe  was  making  fun  of  me,  in  some  man- 
lier, bat  I  eooidn't  see  any  way  of  getting  back  at 


180     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Wm.  Itpaz^iiieafooddealiiiottiiKtlgsveliiiii 
■omcthing  to  )xag^  «t,  bat  that  I  wm  latiafied  to  wt 
llm  beuffe  himt  aad  have  him  talk  to  ne  m  hit  cod 
and  careless  tone.  The  sokmn  truth  of  the  matter 
was  I  knew  tiiat  Iliked  it 

Hien  I  snddenty  remendiered  1117  dotfaei.  Fd 
make  a  hit  with  that  irrqnroachable  famify,  I  knew, 
in  Co^ierfaead  Kate's  waist  that  fitted  too  soon  and 
a  skirt  with  a  ^hree-mch  hike.  And  I  had  a  great 
deal  more  to  say  to  my  Hero-Man.  So  I  begaa  to 
hedge. 

"That  family  rather  frig^itens  me,"  I  UM  him. 
'They  mi|^  not  care  for  my  going«way  get'^^" 

"Then  we  immediately  eliminate  Uie  famify,^'  he 
announced,  "nnce,  as  you  iikimi^  famiUarity  may 
possibly  breed  contempt"  And  still  again  he 
kui^ied.  "And  abjuring  one's  family  always  tends 
to  make  it  matt  interesting,  and  much  ksa  mSbmt- 
rassing,  don't  you  think?" 

I  couldn't  quite  see  what  he  was  drifting  at,  bat^ 
luckily,  we  lad  no  time  for  mott  taflc,  for  we  had 
pulled  up  at  the  Harraton  and  a  uniformed  docurman 
was  tot^iiiig  his  cap  wad  at  the  same  tune  tryii^  to 
take  the  cltd>4»g  out  of  my  hand.  But  I  hmg  on 
to  the  bag. 

"Shan  we  go  up?"  my  Hero-Man  asked,  as  he 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  181 


Hood  (tidying  my  het  ia  tfie  strong  light  of  tbat 
spwtiiKnt^liotdl  foyer*  Then  his  eye  tniTded  down 
over  my  outfit  I  noticed  his  perplexed  look  as  Iw 
took  it  In,  box  co«t  and  shoes  and  aH.  I  conldfec^ 
my  face  turning  pink,  in  spite  of  myself.  I  wasn't 
worrying  about  where  those  dothes  came  fioin;  I 
was  worrying  more  over  the  faet  that  It  wasn't  tht 
sort  of  get-up  that  went  with  onyx  piUars  and  fhak 
carpets.  And  on  that  first  day  we  had  met,  I  re- 
membered, rd  been  at  some  pams  to  tcfi  hhn  about 
my  weakness  for  nice  things. 
"Shall  we  go  up?"  he  asked  me  for  the  second 



"Snre,"  I  said,  makmf  a  bluff  at  putting  on  as 
bold  a  faee  as  I  eould. 

He  tried  to  take  my  dub-bag,  and  die  devator, 
man  tried  to  tain  niy  dnb-bag,  and  a  Jap  who  opened 
the  door  for  us  tried  to  take  my  dub-bag.  But  I 
kept  that  dub-bag  right  in  my  own  hand.  And  Ij 
woiKiered,  as  I  stepped  into  Wendy  Washburn's, 
apartment,  what  would  be  ^he  outcome  of  my  nesd 
adventure  that  night 


CHAPTER  TEN 

AS  I  Mt  in  that  apartment  of  Wendy  Wadi- 
tmrn's  I  fd^  like  a  storm-battered  man-of- 
war  tittt  had  ^pped  into  a  neutral  port  ior  its  legal 
and  Itnrited  stay  and  bticn  Umg  wocdd  be  once  more 
lM:«a8ting&e  wvrtB  of  an  open  sea. 

So  as  I  lay  in  that  ^idtered  and  ontoty  haven,  a 
flodc  of  weary-eyed  wishes  and  longings  seemed  to 
swarm  up  from  scwMwhere  below,  the  same  as  tired 
seamen  might  swaim  to  the  decks  of  thdr  ship  as  it 
lay  beside  homely  green  harbor-hills  and  sktf^ng 
town-streets  which  they  could  never  hope  to  tread. 

For  it  was,  in  t^.e  first  pk  :e,  a  dream  of  an  apart- 
ment, with  rooms  oiough,  apparently,  to  house  an 
Elks' convMiticm.  Fnmi  what  I  couM  see  of  its 
hiy^Mit,  I  took  it  to  be  a  duplex.  If  it  harbored 
odier  members  of  my  Hero-Man's  family,  I  had  no 
chance  of  getting  a  glimpse  of  them.  I  was  glad 
enough  to  rest  my  eyes  on  old  brass  and  the  dull  re- 
flection of  shaded  lights  on  polished  wood  and  the 
quiet  tones  of  tapestry  which  centuries  of  time  had 

182 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  183 


mellowed  into  urbanity,  as  it  seems  to  do  widi 
everything  but  human  beings. 

Then,  as  we  passed  througfh  into  a  dream  of  a  din- 
ing-room, I  found  a  table  laid  for  two.  I  stood  for 
a  moment  staring  rather  stupidly  down  at  that  island 
of  white  damask  floating  in  its  sea  of  gloom,  at  the 
silver  with  the  light  glinting  on  it,  at  the  cut-glast 
that  seemed  so  cold  and  non-committal  and  r.t  the 
same  time  so  warm  in  its  prismatic  flashes  of  acci- 
dental color.  That  table,  I  knew,  couldn't  have  been 
prepared  for  me.  It  wasn't  a  frame-up,  as  Bud 
would  have  phrased  it.  There  had  been  no  chance 
for  any  such  move.  So  I  found  myself  wondering 
if  it  was  always  kept  in  that  condition  of  spotless 
preparedness,  like  the  emergency  room  in  a  city  hos- 
pital. I  wondered  if  it  was  set  out  there  every  eve- 
ning, like  a  poacher's  night-line,  to  trap  each  and 
ever}'  nibbler  that  happened  along. 

Then  I  felt  ashamed  of  my  suspicion.  For  when 
your  bait  is  worth  more  than  your  catch  it  doesn't 
exactly  pay  to  fish.  I  knew,  as  I  stared  down  at  the 
round  island  of  damask,  with  a  vase  of  Richmond 
roses  flaming  at  its  center  like  a  tiny  volcano,  that  it 
wasn't  a  dead- fall  in  disguise.  And  I  preferred  to 
think  of  it  as  being  suddenly  conjured  there,  by  a 
clap  of  the  hands.   It  was  scmie  final  touch  ot  n^- 


184     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


night  magic.  That  night,  I  remembered,  wan't  to 
be  judged  as  you  judge  an  ordinary  night  of  Uh, 
It  was  a  sort  of  Grimm's  fairy-tale  with  tastdi  on. 
It  was  a  sort  of  nursery-rhyme  on  wheels.  For  I'd 
already  been  through  the  Cinder  role,  with  the 
startled  Prince  finding  the  lost  s'  _  ,/er  and  returning 
it  to  its  owner, — though,  of  course,  an  eight-cylinder 
limousine  could  never  quite  take  the  place  of  a  pump- 
ki'  shell  coach. 

If  my  Prince  had  turned  into  Aladdin  the  tauo/s 
son,  and  insisted  on  rubbing  his  magic  lamp,  it  was 
not  for  me  to  rub  my  eyes  and  question  his  power. 
I  was  too  tired  to  think,  and  too  hungry  to  haggle 
over  details.  And  the  whole  .thing  seemed  a  sort  of 
Arabian  Nights^  adventure  where  the  City  of  Spot- 
Cash  had  got  strangely  tangled  up  with  the  City  of 
Brass,  and  Broadway  and  Central  Park  badly  mixed 
with  Bagdad,  with  the  Tigris  twisting  down  past 
the  Palisades  where  the  Hudson  ought  to  have  been. 

It  was  Wendy  Washburn  himself — still  insisting 
on  taking  it  all  as  a  matter  of  course — ^who  promptly 
brought  me  back  to  earth. 

"Don't  you  think  it  would  be  as  well  to  slip  o£E 
that  heavy  coat?"  he  inquired. 

He  held  it  up  as  I  wriggled  out  of  it. 

"One  gets  so  used  to  fur/'  I  announced,  for  he 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  185 


wctrinf  Hodioa  seal  to  Mi^  in  the  MSieii. 

**Ye«,  one  does,"  he  agreed,  at  he  kid  tfw  coat 
carefully  adde.  Tet  from  itt  apptaraiica  Fd  ym- 
tare  a  goeat  tiiat  Ton  haven't  had  it  kJOf." 

I  gave  him  a  good  look,  hot  hia  face  waa  aa  11O0- 
oodunittal  at  his  cut-fftass. 

*Wo,  they're  not  wearing  them  loqg  tids  year," 
I  parried,  and  he  aolemnly  wagged  his  head,  as 
thoni^  tiiat  pearl  of  wisdom  were  aome^  ^  requir* 
mg  deep  tiKmg^  Then  ha  came  out  of  k  *-  ttaaoa. 

'^migiy?"  he  inspired,  at  he  held  a  chair  lor 

'nSlarnng,"  I  tdd  hhn  at  I  tank  hte  it,  ttowing 
^  rhih-bag  dote  in  down  by  my  f eet»  where  I  coold 
;  A  infoiring  toe  agahitt  ftt  tide,  the  tmne  aa  B 
o#  gcnng  to  market  ke^  a  aoaa  againtt  her 
inredom  calf . 

Then  I  deffiberatdly  tmned  the  ring  on  my  finger, 
to  that  the  big  ruby  tmoondtd  fey  blade  peark 
oooldnt  fce^  from  ttaring  him  k  face.  X 
waited  to  tee  what  he  wodd  do  when  he  caught 
tight  of  k.  Bn^  to  my  surprise,  he  didn't  aiera  to 
reoogniaeit  So  tee  wat,  I  oonehided,  more  than 
one  Wendy  k  the  wMld. 

'XSiampagne?"  he  catnap  mquired,  at  he  tat 


186     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


1  never  drink,"  I  toid  Um.  I  don't  know 
wnemer  it  wtt  aw  fuomptnest  tne  pnmnets  witn 
wh^i  I  jrfpcd  out  dnt  yirtnoitt  dedsntion  thtt 
bfoni^  one  of  the  heat-lightning  nnilet  to  hie  lipe. 

"Of  coune,"  he  agreed.  But  I  turned  pink  again, 
for  I  ttiU  f dt  that  he  was  in  eome  wajr  making  fun 
of  nw. 

He  lat  studying  me,  in  an  abstracted  sort  of  way 
as  I  began  to  eat  He  coukl  see,  I  msppo&t,  ^taA  I 
was  hungry,  and  long  before  the  days  when  I  tnei 
to  consume  untdd  cpantities  of  marrimudlows  and 
dttves  smuggled  into  the  Urstiiine  academy  I  had 
won  a  justfy  established  reputation  as  an  npstattding 
and  honest  eater.  The  repast  ccmfronting  me  taxy 
not  have  had  an  tiie  rcmiance  of  a  midnight  feast  be- 
hind a  practise-fnano  in  a  lii^tless  recreatioii^oom, 
but  it  made  in  nnterial  what  it  ladced  in  spirit 
For  there  was  boned  capon,  and  a  moussf  of  ham, 
and  Parker  House  rdUs,  ai^  sc»ne  qiKer  tasting  little 
sandwiches  yAadk  my  Hero-Man  told  me  were  made 
of  caviar.  But  tiie  latter  I  ftfoi^tly  passed  by  for  a 
Kt^  silver  boat  of  Frendi  bon4)ons. 

Then  Wendy  Washburn  began  to  fi^  for  it  was 
ffaun  that  I  was  slill  perplexing  him. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  187 

1  mpsom  yoa  M  nrtlNr  don*  ooir  Im  im^ 
tnnd,  ai  I  twiteiied  to  a  M  of  itflid  noli. 

'my  liMMld  ir  I  ptrrfod,  wrioffaif  a  pt^^ 
■ariifactioo  out  of  tht  fact  I  oooU  be  a  ponle  to 

"I  thought  that  yon  mtwt-^ircll,  that  yoa  mat 
have  had  rather  a  hard  o^ht  of  it,*'  he  cs^laiiMd. 
But  he  did  it  somewhat  haHini^y. 

"Where?"  I  inqoifed,  determined  not  to  malw  hit 
invettigitiont  too  easy  for  him. 

"That  was  what  I  wai  bopiaf  yon  would  t^ 
m^"  he  reified* 

The  Ji|>  had  farom^  hi  teaMhhifi.  and  my  Heio- 
Man»  I  nodced»  wat  maldnf  the  tea  wkh  Ida  own 
hands.  It  didn't  seem  right;  yet  I  knew  tiiat  it  most 
be  right,  or  Wendy  Washburn  woidd  never  have 
done  it  The  tea  itself,  however,  tasted  like  plum- 
bbssoms,  md  I  dkhi't  sldnq»  it,  for  ater  emptying 
that  dish  of  salted  nuts  I  foimd  tiiat  I  was  terr9)iy 
tiiirsty. 

"It  won't  keep  yott  awake?"  he  asiced,  as  I  downed 
n^  ssoond 

I  had  to  kui|^  at  that 

"Me  awake?  I've  got  odier  tilings  to  keep  me 
awakef 
"Worries?" 


188     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

•TheywmMlillfMtjcM.'*  Aad  I  rooadtd  up 
boidMW  «Mii«9i  to  look  ri|^  It  Mm  M I  Mid  it 

*«TlMn  for  ^  Mcond  time  Tve  bMa  «blt  to 
you."  lit  mid,  wteh  hit  quiet  mile. 

I  nodded  my  ImmL  Hit  face  looted  Hen,  for  a 
moment  The  only  diinf  tint  mede  H  fctax  wm 
my  gestura  of  difBified  ^tdftfai  when  hb  Jap  aenrant 
held  a  dfaretle-hoK  of  chated  tiher  in  front  of  me. 

"So  you're  not  that  aort  of  girl  eitherr  a^  the 
man  acroet  the  table  from  me. 

*lhopenot"Iaaid  Iiaiditwidialltiied^ty 
diat  I  oottld  eommand.  Shoddng  one'a  Hero-Man 
witti  the  eye-opening  phratet  of  the  underworld 
'  teemed        dilferent  to  ahoeking  him  by  ooc^a 

"My  stster-tn-law,  the  ducheat,  doea  about  forty 
of  'em  a  dayr  he  dolefully  admowledged.  Moat 
famiUet,  I  remembered,  had  a  ikeleton  oi  two  hi 
dieir  doeets. 

"I  watn't  broui^  up  that  way,"  I  raAer  at^ 
announced.  And  Ilodked  1:9  quickly  to  tee  whcUier 
or  not  he  waa  laughing  at  me.  But  Int  face,  aa  far 
as  I  could  make  out,  was  qiuto  aober. 

'*Wc  never  are,"  was  his  somewhat  puzzling 
reply.  But  I  edged  away  from  ftat  subject,  for  w» 
seemed  to  be  skating  on  pretty  thin  ice. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  189 


1  tuppoM  yoB  dBB*t  rwMnlv  •ont  adfiet  ytn 
gm^  rat,  thirt  «rrt  day  I  met  your  I  talMd. 
'*Alxiiitwliitr 

"Almit  nadiiig  Browniiig^''  I  renunded  him. 
'T)id  your  he  tdeed,  with  a  oew  liglit  in  Ut  laot. 
1  did,**  I  admowkdied.  "And  it  nearix  draft 
me  nuttr 

«Ntttfr  he  reporteil  «0h,  yet;  ol  cowrie,  mita. 
By  tiiat  I  infer  that  yoti  ncan  imane?" 

"If  you  prefer  it  that  way,"  I  laid.  BtttlwHa't 
thinking  of  Browning,  at  the  nomei^  for  Td  joat 
kidced  the  blade  bag  to  make  aitre  it  was  at  niy  fact 

"I'm  afraid  a  great  maiqr  of  na  an  ^  wi^,  if 
we  only  knew  it,"  generaliaed  my  ^piid-cyed  com- 
panion, as  he  readied  for  a  dgarette. 

I  had  leaned  forward  agaimt  the  table,  and  i  te 
pretsore  of  Copperhead  Kalc^a  automatic  under  my 
waist  made  me  suddenly  think  or  ither  ^  ngs. 

"Do  you  know,"  I  told  tiie  man  across  the  table 
{ram  me,  "I  rather  believe  the  whole  worid  has  fooe 
mttsr 

He  did  not  speak  foramonmrtmrtwo. 

"And  to  ^Mh$t  do  you  attribute  tys—cr— 4Ms 
somewhat  disturbing  belief?" 

"To  what  I've  gone  throti|^  dmis^  ^  last  six 
hours,"  was  my  prompt  respcmse. 


190     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


*«What  has  Hat  hemV*  Iw  just  as  proa^tlj  de- 
manded. 

I  sat  studying  his  face,  for  a  minute  or  two,  won- 
dering just  what  I  could  teU  htm,  asking  myself  just 
what  he  would  expect  of  me.  But  there  was  a  cool- 
ness and  aloofness  about  him  that  frightened  me. 
And  I  hadn't /et  discovered  just  what  I  expected  of 
myself. 

"Instead  of  answering  that  question,"  I  told  him, 
**rd  rather  ask  you  a  few.** 

"For  example?"  he  prompted. 

"Who  are  the  Bartletts?**  I  demanded. 

"The  Bartletts?**  he  meditatively  repeated. 
"Bartl^?  There  must  be  a  great  maiqr  Bart- 
letts." 

"Then  who  is  Oartssa  Bartlettr*  I  asked. 
"Why?"  he  casually  inquired. 
"I  said  Fd  rather  ask  the  questions,"  I  reminded 
him. 

"Then  stq>posing  we  lock  *em  up  in  the  Social 
Register/*  he  quietly  suggerted.  And  I  remeodbered 
how  Bud  had  once  studied  the  starry  names  in  that 
same  Social  Register,  thoufl^  for  strictly  business 
reasons. 

"I  tiUnk  she's  sometimes  called  Oaire,"  I  said, 
gouig  back  to  ^  probiem  of  the  Bartktts. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  191 


"And  has  anything  of  importance  hi^pened  to 
her  ?*' the  aian  across  the  table  was  qnktly  mqiiiraif. 

"Something  very  important,"  I  just  as  qaiedy  re- 
sponded. 

Then  somethuig  in  his  manner,  something  whidi 
I  couldn't  define,  something  which  I  could  never 
have  esqplained,  made  me  pttU  up  thott  I  felt  Vke 
Eliza  crossing  the  ice^  only  the  btoodhounds  were  is 
my  own  heart,  instead  of  on  tiie  odier  «de  of  the 
Ohio.  And  you  can't  run  away  from  what  you 
carry  in  your  own  heart 

**You  <km't  know  much  about  me,  do  you?''  I 
finally  said  to  that  strange  friend  of  ndne^  who,  at 
one  turn  of  a  card,  mig^  m  some  way  prove  himsdf 
an  enemy. 

"Far  more  than  you  imaghw,"  he  said,  thouf^  I 
knew  he  wasn't  altogether  sincere  in  saying  it 
"But  you,  on  tiie  oAer  hand,  know  very  little  about 
mer 

"Would  you  prefer  that  I  dkhi't  know  nm?"  I 
adoed  fam.  And  I  tried  to  adc  it  luxmlly. 

He  seemed  to  realize  duit  For  tiie  first  time  ^ 
night  a  look  of  embarrassment  crept  into  his  fact. 

"I'm  afraid  you'd  be  ashamed  of  me,  if  you  did," 
he  finally  acknowledged. 

"Then  how  about  me?"  I  asked. 


192     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


He  lodced  at  me,  as  solemn  as  a  judge. 

**Yoa  are  still  a  bundle  of  ooittiadictions  to  me,** 
was  all  he  ventured  to  saf  . 

"Well,  I  rather  surprise  myself  now  and  tiien,"  I 
adaiowtedged,  a  little  diilled  by  that  neutral-tinted 
description  of  myself.  For  every  woman  has  a 
hunger  to  be  something  positive,  even  though  she 
can't  be  something  superlative.  And  I  couldn't  get 
away  from  Iht  impres^on  that  we  were  both  beating 
about  the  bush,  that  we  were  merely  fencing  when 
time  was  too  precious  to  be  wasted  on  words. 

That  Hero-Man  of  mine  must  have  felt  scnnewhat 
die  same,  for  he  suddenly  turned  to  me  sad  asLed 
me  a  questicm  which  sent  4  Mississippi  of  nettle- 
rash  right  down  from  the  collar  of  Oqiperiiead 
Kate's  blade  waist  to  ^e  toe  in  the  stolen  soede  slip- 
per whidi  I  was  keeping  pressed  against  the  blade 
^lb-bag.  He  spoke  quietly  enough,  but  it  seemed 
to  cc»ne  like  a  thunder-dap. 

**Did  you  make  a  good  haul  to-night  f** 

I  could  fed  the  color  go  slowly  up  to  the  roots  of 
my  hair  as  I  sat  staring  at  hhn. 

''What  do  you  maai  by  that?"  I  somewhat  weakly 
inquired. 

"Precisely  what  I  said,"  was  his  answer,  and  his 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  193 


voice  reminded  tat  of  tL  ntor-blade  wrapped  in 
chamois.    "Have  you  made  «  good  haul  V 

I  sat  there  in  silence,  trying  to  size  him  up.  I 
rather  raented  having  toi-inch  shells  exploded  that 
way  in  my  face.  I  was  equally  shocked  to  find  tfiat 
he  had  merely  been  playing  a  part  He  accepted 
me,  after  all,  as  nothing  more  than  a  gun-moU. 

I  must  have  stared  into  his  impassive  face  for  a 
full  two  minutes.  Then,  in  a  flash,  I  decided  to 
give  him  a  dose  of  his  own  medicine.  Since  he  rev- 
^td  in  abruptness,  I'd  give  him  the  once-over 
out  any  orchestra-trinanings.  If  he'd  liad  he 
wanted  of  itaaax^  he  vnm  ^pttte  wdonne  to  mktd 
steel. 

I  pushed  n^  dhair  back  a  littte  ffom  Ihs  table.  I 
readied  down  and  lifted  tiie  did>-bag  to  toy  loMes. 
Then  I  drew  back  fastmings  at  emdk  end  of  its 
top,  tilted  tihe  bag  so  tiie  light  from  tbe  shaded 
eltctrolier  would  fall  mcne  dsre^  vfoa  wkaA  it 
held,  and  opMcd  it 

It  made  a  diow,  aU  right  That  caTe-garden  et 
Ahddin's  in  yrlusk  all  the  predoas  slones  gmr  on 
trees  would  have  looked  tflce  Ae  Great  American 
ueserK  ucime  k. 

Ify  HerOi>lian  proo^^  tlQod  Op  itt  hit  flaes^  901 


194     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


his  hands  on  the  table,  and  leaned  across  toward 
where  I  sat.  That  half-quizzical  smile  was  no 
longer  on  his  face.  But  it  was  not  exactly  surprise 
that  he  showed.  It  seemed  to  me  more  like  conster- 
ni^on,  for  his  e3res  narrowed,  as  though  he  were  in 
a  brown  study.  I  would  have  laughed,  only  the 
sternness  of  his  face  rather  frightened  me. 

"How  did  you  get  that  stuff?"  he  asked. 

Most  men  would  have  asked  me  where  I  got  it 
But  my  Hero-Man  was  not  like  most  men. 

"How  did  you  get  that  stuff?"  he  repeated,  as  he 
sank  back  into  his  chair.  I  had  the  club-bag  on  the 
table  by  this  tline,  and  gave  him  the  full  benefit  of 
the  string  of  pearls  that  looked  as  though  a  white 
leghorn  had  laid  them.  Beside  them,  on  the  table- 
doth,  I  put  a  sunburst  of  diamonds  that  gave  me  the 
prairie-squint  to  look  at  in  the  strong  light.  And 
next  came  a  ruby  pendant,  of  one  big  stone  that 
looked  like  the  tail-light  of  the  Twentieth  Century 
Limited  surrounded  by  about  a  dozen  emeralds,  and 
next  the  lavaliere  that  was  long  enotis^  to  hang  « 
family  washing  on. 

"You  can't  call  me  a  piker,  at  any  ratcl"  I  said, 
with  all  ihe  audacity  that  I  could  screw  up.  For  the 
eyes  of  my  Hero-Man  wen  actually  beginning  to 
disturb  me; 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRiGUE  195 


He  smoked  for  a  moment  or  tw<^  wiAoat  Muring 

a  word.  I  had  intended  to  return  the  compliment 
and  shock  him  a  bit.  But  I  hadn't  quite  counted  on 
leaving  him  witit  a  face  as  long  as  the  moral  law. 

"Oh,  I  say,  this  does  mix  things  t^l"  he  finally 
exclaimed,  as  though  he  were  thinking  out  loud. 

"Of  course  it  mixes  things  up,"  I  chirped  back  at 
him,  shrinking  back  into  my  crook  talk  as  a  turtle 
shrinks  bade  into  its  shell,  "and  especially  iat  iSBm 
ginks  who  are  out  their  family  jewdsf 

He  shook  his  head. 

"I  don't  mean  for  them,"  he  said.   *1  mean  lor 

you." 

I  tried  to  laugh,  but  it  fell  short  I  was  redly 
beginning  to  feel  a  little  frightened. 

"I  wish  you  hadn't  done  this  r  Wendy  Vfashboni 
said  to  me. 

It  seemed  the  first  really  sincere  and  cUrect  ^te- 
ment  that  he  had  made  to  me  all  ^t  ni^u.  It  was 
as  though,  at  a  mcnnea^s  notke  and  ior  a  motnent't 
time,  he  had  dropped  his  mask. 

"Why?"  I  asked  him.  And  it  ibdwd  tfafoagli 
me,  for  one  wild  breath  or  two,  tiiat  tdib  man  nnnt 
be  in  the  same  line  of  Mness  as  Bud  G^trntMs^ 
with  an  outsider  e^^  in  on  ^  beat  tibit  lie  ted 
pidnted  out  for  himself. 


196     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


"Why?"  I  repeated,  studying  his  face,  which  atill 
seemed  heavy  with  a  sort  of  condescending  I'm- 
terribly-sorry-for-you  expression. 

But  the  next  moment  the  ma.>k  went  up,  like  a 
shutter  over  a  window.  He  even  smiled  a  little  as 
ht  reached  out  for  another  cigarette. 

"You  don't  happen  to  be  looking  for  a  partner,  do 
you? '  he  inquired,  as  he  stared  rather  abstractedly 
over  that  sparkling  array  of  family  junk. 

"I  need  one  badly/'  I  rather  surprised  him  by  ad- 
mitting. 

"CouM  I  possibly  qualify?"  he  asked,  after  a 
moment's  pause. 

"I  don't  think  so,"  I  told  him. 

"I'm  sorry,"  he  announced,  with  an  almost  listless 
motion  toward  the  black  club-bag.  "For  I've  done  a 
bit  of  adventuring  m3rself  along  these  lines." 

I  looked  up  at  him  quickly,  suddenly  asking  my- 
self if  it  could  indeed  be  true  that  this  mysteriously 
calm-eyed  man  was  by  any  chance  what  Bud  and  his 
friends  would  call  a  crook  ?  A  crook !  I  hated  that 
ugly  and  overworked  word.  I  hated  it  as  much  as 
I  hated  the  tricks  and  meannesses  and  cruelties  with 
which  the  bearer  of  any  such  brand  was  compelled 
to  fill  his  life.  For  I  had  long  since  given  up  nqr 
girlish  faith  in  gentlonaa  lnsr|^art  and  evening* 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  m 


drett  Raflkt,  who  were  crindmls  only  at  strictly 
•ttted  hoart  and  in  itricUy  oertain  directiotis.  I 
knew  there  was  no  rach  aft^Fntftli  oittstde  tiie  mpyiet 
and  the  Broadway  ndodramas.  Even  poor  old 
Bad,  in  his  time,  had  trkd  to  be  a  Tweirtietfa  Centnry 
Robin  Hood,  and  he  had  made  anything  bdt  a  ttie- 
oessofit  I  sinq^  refined  to  accept  Wend^Wadi- 
bum  as  eidwr  a  ttfe-i»eaker  or  a  gem-^ief .  And 
I  prefmed  steering  away  from  tfu^  dirtntbing 
toj^  I  wanted  my  Hero-Man  to  keep  to  hia 
pedestal* 

Then  perhi^  you  can  advise  me  v^t  to  do  wiA 
tys*"  I  suggested,  as  a  ntorse  says  "See^e^noo- 
cow  f '  to  distract  a  ^vajrward  diSd* 

He  stimd  down  at  die  toot 

"Why,  the  first  tiling,  I  suppose,  would  be  to  take 
stod^"  was  his  matter-of-fact  taoK^  siqgestion. 

"That*  s  exactly  what  Fve  bera  wanting  to  do^"  I 
admitted. 

"No  time^  I  stqtpose^"  he  mildly  inquired,  as  lie 
voom.  Om  a  goKi  poacec*pwcii,  to  maice  mveniones 
as  you  grab  goods  ISee  ^«t?" 

*TAa#  always  comes  afterward,"  I  cahi^  ex- 
pluned,  "especb^  when  you  do  the  work  as  I  havi 
to  do  ft." 

He  bi'Qiij[(ht  tSt  duur  and  cuae  and  nt  lie^te  ib/u. 


19B     THE  HOUSE  OF  mTRIGUS 


I  eould  hetr  him  gupk  qoHt  piainly,  u  I  Ulted  out 
the  first  bundle  of  papers.  Then  still  afsin  he 
jtmd  wt  me. 

'HVhere  did  tiiose  thiagi  come  fromf  he  ailnd. 
He  seemed  no  lonfer  interested  in  just  kow  I  got 

'T  don't  know,**  I  toM  him.  And  ^  to  aU  in- 
tents and  purposes,  was  the  tntdi. 

Ton  don't  knowf  he  repeated,  as  he  took  txp 
one  of  the  padoiges  and  riffled  through  it  "But 
you  do  know,  I  suppose,  that  these  are  what  our 
commercial  friends  would  call  gilt-edged  securi- 
ties?" He  did  not  wait  for  an  answer,  for  he  was 
checking  through  that  first  padcage  of  documents. 
"And  this  bundle,  I  imagine;  shouki  be  worth  afanost 
a  hundred  thousand  doUars  f 

"Geeris^id.  Then  I  stared  down  into  the  bag. 
There  were  five  more  packages  there  very  mudi  like 
iht  first  My  face  must  have  turned  rather  white, 
for  the  man  at  my  nde  gave  me  a  quidc  i^mce^  half 
of  inquiry,  half  of  apprehension.  Then  he  turned 
back  to  tihe  tabk. 

I  knew,  by  this  time,  that  I  was  no  longer  in  his 
^boo^^btB.  H«  was  no  mote  omscious  of  me,  as  he 
sat  there  with  ti»t  worried  k)ok  on  his  face,  than 
a  Wan  Street  magnate  with  a  milfion-doilar  deal 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  199 


to  tfUnkoftr  it  comctow  of  tht  toW"he«ded  itenof- 
who  wastt  wi^  htr  pad  ra^  1^  out  tod  of 
hit  dak.  Yet  there  was  nothhif  rcprovinf  ahoot 
either  his  looks  or  Ms  movements.  He  seemed  more 
IflK  a  fdiooMcadief  liho'd  been  ilanped  ^  a  prob- 
kia  handed  np  to  him  h]r  tiw  kast  pronismg  of  all 
his  ptqHls.  And  it  was  a  problem  whidi  in  some 
way  had  to  be  worked  out 

-wen  juit  tabidaie  tfiete  few  trifles  flrst,"  he 
finalljr  amwoneed,  as  he  reached  for  a  Aeet  of 
paper.  Then  he  took  hb  1^  fcdd  pocket-pencil 
and  deftly  made  out  a  fist,  as  neat  as  an  anedooeer'a* 
first  of  the  tolly  jewehy  and  then  of  the  bonds 
and  certificates  in  the  six  diffeitttt  bandies.  Then 
he  added  «^  the  neat  little  row  of  ^;ttres  whidi  he'd 
j<Mted  down. 

'^Jnst  a  trifle  over  half  a  mUfion*"  he  announced^ 
without  a  ^bost  of  a  smile.  Then  he  sat  back  and 
watdied  me  as  I  started  to  pile  the  pikers  and 
jewelry  back  in  the  bag  again.  I  may  have  been  as 
frii^itened  as  a  darky  hi  a  graveyard;  but  I  d^*t 
Intend  to  let  n^  Hero-Man  kiMw  it 

These  things  shouldn't  be  left  fying  aroimd  k>ose» 
should  HmsfV*  I  offtondedly  ventured.  I  was 
akogetfier  nnoertain  as  to  whidi  way  the  oft 
going  to  jumpu 


aOO     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTBIGUE 


"That's  tmtr  tiM&  yon  imgioer  nlorttd  iiijr 
Hero-Man. 

Then  what  are  wt  foinf  to  do  about  hr  I 
asked,  ttiU  wncertain  of  n^  groond. 

Hit  eye  met  mine.  I  don't  know  what  he  was 
about  to  say.  I  wasn't  even  sure  tfiat  he  hitended 
saying  anythinf.  But  tiiat  tabkau  was  faHemvtod 
by  the  noiselesa  entrance  of  hit  servant 

That  small-bodied  Oriental,  in  fact,  came  and 
stood  close  behind  Ids  master.  His  attitude  was  one 
of  veiled  expectancy,  at  dNMi^  he  had  been  tent  for. 
Yet  I  coukl  recall  no  tign  or  mesM^  having  gone 
out  f  rem  that  room. 

I  taw  my  Hero-Man  tear  a  small  dip  from  the 
siieet  of  paper  on  whidi  he'had  been  mventoiying 
the  comenta  of  the  chib-b;:|*.  On  thit  slip  of  paptf 
he  wrote  a  sentence  or  two»  in  very  small  scr^t 
He  gave  it  to  ^  waiting  Japk  without  a  word  of  ex- 
plamtkm,  and  the  Jap  at  silently  vaniahed  from  the 
room. 

It  nd|^t  have  been  anythmg^  of  course.  But^ 
unknown  mttisage  began  to  worry  me.  It  may  have 
been  nothing  more  than  the  next  day's  meat  order, 

or  a  carriage  can,  or  a  trick  to  intimidate  me  kto  a 
freer  duumel  of  confesskw. 

Yet  I  would  have  given  a  good  deal  to  know  just 


TBS  HOUSE  OF  IMTRKSUB  m 


what  WM  written  on  that  deputing  tl^  of  ftftr, 

I  fat  no  :<ittt  of  tut  ctei^  me,  however,  as  I  went 
on  fcttorhig  that  icattering  of  wealth  to  its  leather 
reoqptade.  I  even  took  advantage  of  an  unobserved 
moment  to  slip  old  Earn  Bartfatt't  six  bank-notes 
from  their  keepit^pidace  and  drop  them  down  in 
the  dttb-bag.  Then  I  pulled  off  the  ruby  ring 
and  toiiad  it  into  the  tame  place.  For  a  new  im- 
pidae  had  tideen  possession  of  me.  I  wanted  to 
deanse  my  soul  of  the  whole  tangled  business.  I 
wanted  none  of  the  fruits  of  that  night's  misadfen> 
tore  about  my  body.  Until  then,  for  some  reason, 
I  had  taken  a  sort  of  black  joy  hi  letting  Wendy 
Wadibitm  believe  Ae  worst  of  me  that  he  was  abfa 
to  believe.  Why  it  was,  I  couldn't  exactly  explaht, 
any  toott  than  I  can  ea^lain  wlqr  the  preacher's  son 
who  plays  pirate  bves  to  stidc  a  wooden  dagger  in 
his  belt  Bat  rd  had  ny  fiU  of  playing  ph«te,  and 
now  «  reactioi^  born  of  heaven  knows  ndia^  had 
set  in. 

I  tooked  as  I  finUwd  my  tadc,  to  find  Wea^ 
Washburn  staring  at  me  with  a  Uoma  on  Ida 
iisuaBy  placid  fordwad. 

1  st^poae  yon  still  don't  fed  Wkt  t^ng  me  jost 
how  and  where  yon  got  possesskm  of  tM,  he 
asked,  with  a  hand-wave  toward  the  chd>^bag. 


TRB  BOUSB  W  IMTRIOUB 


"I  don't  think  you'd  believe  me,  even  il  I  told 
you,"  wks  my  somewhat  ungracious  reply. 

"Probably  not/' be  Hud.  But  he  taid  U  with  a 
ghost  of  a  sigh. 

"Positively  not,"  I  amended. 

"But  there's  still  the  question  of  what  we're  gomg 
to  do  about  it,"  he  ruminated  aloud. 

I  turned  and  closed  the  bag-top  with  a  snap. 

"What  do  you  intend  to  do  about  itr  I  de- 
numded. 

He  looked  at  me  solemnly,  studiously,  as  if  he 
imagined  he  could  read  rig^t  down  to  my  shoe- 
numbers  by  staring  into  my  eyes.  It  must  have 
been  the  way  the  Prince  of  Denmark  peered  into  the 
face  of  his  altogether  disappointing  Ophelia. 

"Especially  as  I  -on't  see  a  mail-box  anywhere  in 
the  neighborhood!"  I  meekly  ventured,  remember, 
ing  only  too  vividly  a  oertain  afternoon  at  Long 
Beach. 

I  was  hoping  he  wodd  Iau|^  at  that,  but  all  be 
did  was  to  stand  up. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'm  going  to  do  about  it,"  he 
solemnly  announced.  "I'm  gmng  to  take  thia  mhok 
thing  into  my  own  hands  t" 

"And  then  what?"  I  eomev^  mockingly  in- 


THB  HOUSB  or  DITBIGUl  301 


quired.  For  there  were  more  iuiarU  in  that  tangled 
fiih-Hne  of  fate  than  he  had  any  idea  of. 

"Then,"  he  told  me,  "I'm  going  to  taka  theta 
things  back  to  where  they  came  from  1" 

"When?"  I  inquired,  wondering  if  it  would  be 
safe  to  say  that  I  regarded  him  at  one  grand  Uttk 
fetriever. 

"I'm  going  to  do  it  right  away,"  was  his  answer. 

"And  where  are  you  going  to  take  them?"  was 
my  next  inquiry.  I  could  even  afford  to  laugh,  he 
teemed  so  sure  of  himself,  and  his  little  pilgrunagt 
teemed  such  a  perfectly  simple  one. 

"To  the  house  you  came  out  of  before  you  stepped 
into  my  car,"  he  told  me  as  he  reached  for  the  bag. 

"And  have  you  any  idea,"  I  inquired*  "of  jort 
what  you'll  bump  into,  in  that  house?" 

"Perhaps  not,"  he  acknowledged.  "Bitf  the  un- 
certainty of  it  rather  appeals  to  me  V* 

He  teemed  nettled  my  listlessness.  lb  waa 
even  ready  to  disregard  my  cynical  laugh. 

"And  why  are  you  doing  aQ  this?"  I  asked,  with 
my  eyebrows  up. 

"For  thg  sake  of  your  immortal  soulf*  wat  hit 
altogether  unexpected  rrtort,  at  he  reaped  over  aad 
toochtd  the  bdU 


CHAPTER  ELEVEN 


T  'M  afraid  I  was  thinking  more  about  my  mortal 
body  than  about  my  immortal  soul,  during  that 
ride  through  the  midnight  streets  of  the  city.  But  I 
was  bone-tired  by  this  time,  and  already  the  stupefy- 
ing fumes  of  my  utter  weariness  were  beginning  to 
float  like  a  mist  before  me  and  the  happenings  of  the 
last  few  hours.  I  lost  my  interest  in  things.  I  didn't 
seem  to  care  much  how  they  came  out.    And  some- 
where at  the  back  of  my  brain  revolved  a  strangely 
mixed-up  reel  of  weasel- faced  old  men  and  haunted 
houses  and  lavalieres  and  rubies  and  diamonds  and 
four-posters  and  wills  and  wall-safes  and  boned 
capon  and  crepe-de-chine  nightgowns  and  auto- 
mobiles that  purred  along  wet  pavements  and 
thumped  softly  over  car-tracks  and  swayed  a  little 
from  side  to  side  like  the  arm  of  a  mumble-low 
mamiiiy  putting  a  tired  baby  to  sleep.   And  I  was 
the  baby. 

I  didn't  care  much  where  my  Hero-Man  todc  me, 
or  what  happened  to  me,  so  long  as  I  was  left  there 
in  peace,  against  those  well-padded  cushion-backs. 
But  through  the  soft  fog  of  weariness  that  star- 

204 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTIUGUE  m 


rounded  tne  I  became  conscious  of  several  things. 
The  first  was  that  I  was  in  a  smaller  car  than  befcMre, 
a  sort  of  single-seated  covered  roadster  or  coup& 
The  second  was  that  the  rain  was  now  coming  down 
in  a  steady  pour,  making  the  empty  streets  look  like 
a  city  of  the  dead.  The  third  was  that  the  car  in 
which  I  had  been  half-asleep  had  come  to  a  stop. 
And  the  last  oat  was  tiiat  my  Hero-Man  was  speak- 
ing to  me. 

"I'm  sorry  to  disturb  you,"  he  was  saying.  "But 
it  would  be  as  well  for  yoo  to  wait  here  in  the  car 
until  I  come  back." 

"Bade  fran  where?"  I  asked,  as  he  ste|iped  out 
the  car  door  with  the  dub-faag  in  his  hand. 

"From  there,"  he  answered,  pointing  toward  a 
wide-fronted  house  of  Ii^iana  Hmfttqnt.  Eadi 
barred  window  of  that  house  was  shrouded 
and  curtained.  Not  a  lij^t  shone  from  it  Even 
tiie  street  door  stood  ominmi^y  ^idc  BtA  h  was 
none  of  these  things  ^  left  me  swidcidy  wide 
awake. 

It  was  the  discovery  that  direcOy  across  Iht  street 
from  where  we  had  stopped  stood  the  very  house 
from  idudi  I  had  fled  two  hours  earlier.  It  was 
the  diacomy  that  Weady  Washburn  had  been  able 
to  thread  his  way  bade  to  ^  bona  of  iatrigoe^ 


206     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


without  so  much  as  a  word  of  help  fr<Mii  me.  He 
had  come  back  to  it  as  quietly  as  a  homing  pigeon 
returns  to  its  cote.  He  understood,  without  my 
telling  him,  the  precise  quarter  from  which  I  had 
carried  off  that  dub-kig  of  Copperhead  Kate's. 
And  I  couldn't  help  wondirriiig  just  how  much  toon 
he  knew  about  that  house. 

"And  how  long  am  X  to  wait  here?"  I  —Iced,  at 
casually  as  I  could. 

He  looked  at  the  house-front  a  moment,  before 
turning  back  to  me.  There  was  no  longer  any  tnot 
of  flippancy  about  him. 

"If  I'm  not  back  here  in  a  reasonable  length  of 
time,  I  want  you  to  telephone  my  man  at  the  Har- 
raton.    He  will  know  what  to  do." 

"But  what  do  you  call  a  reasonable  length  of 
time?"  I  insisted.  "For  you  know  I've  got  to  sleep 
some  time  between  now  and  next  Christmas?" 

He  laughed  a  little  at  that,  very  quietly. 

"There  are  a  few  things  that  are  wordi  more  tiiaii 
sleep,"  he  announced. 

"Not  to  me,"  I  retorted,  for  I  didn't  want  him  to 
think  that  excursion  of  his  was  troubling  me  at 
much  as  it  did.  But  I  scarcely  believed  he  heard 
what  I  said,  for  he  had  turned  away  and  was  step* 
fiag  qtikkiy  19  the  wide  limettone  tread* 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTIUGUE  207 


I  sat  in  the  darieeiwd  car  watching  him  through 
the  falling  rain.  I  saw  liim  stop  before  the  double 
door  of  heavy  plate  glass  guarded  by  itt  scfoll-work 
of  Uack  iron.  I  waited  for  him  to  ring,  wondering 
what  his  reception  in  ^  strange  house  would  be. 
But  fawtead  of  ringing,  he  quietfy  took  out  a  pass- 
key, inserted  it  in  the  door-lodc,  and  stepped  inside. 

I  sat  there,  stunned.  Here  was  a  new  twist,  and 
a  twist  that  was  a  little  too  nnidi  for  me.  Why 
should  Went./  Gruger  Wa^ibum  carry  a  key  to  that 
house  of  hdntnrs?  And  how  oookl  such  a  key  come 
iito  his  possesskm?  And  w^  was  he  holding  back 
informatkm  iidiich  he  cotdd  caa^  have  given  na»  tf 
he'd  waited  to?  And  was  the  pft-ring  whidi  he 
had  so  cahnly  ignored,  after  aS,  in  some  way  asso- 
ciated with  hun?  And  if  so,  just  who  and  what 
was  tins  Wendy  Wasldxmi?  And  wiqr  shouM  he 
be  so  activdy  interested  m  my  immortal  tool,  and 
•natdi  hatf-a-mtlUon  dollars  out  of  nqr  hand,  the 
same  as  a  big  brother  sm^dwt  m  espedafiy  juky 
apf4e  from  baby  ^ter  on  ^  piea  tiH^  ft  five 
her  ekoUr^rmorbusT  And  was  he  actnaSy  tdang 
tiiat  wea^  back  to  fti  owaert?  And*  if  io^  Jnil 
who  wete  its  owners  iapposed  to  be?  Orwuthen 
some  lAerior  modve  hi  Hiat  diarftable  Ikte  move? 
Was  niy  Hcro-Mia  merely  piayii^r  lk»  to  «^  tafet- 


208     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


lope,  gathering  in  at  <mt  bound  the  prize  whidi  cdiy 
mcmths  of  Inwsing  could  have  prepared  for  him? 

I  suddenly  remembered  what  Wendy  Wadibum 
had  said  to  me,  that  first  day  of  our  meeting.  "I  do 
a  little  in  the  hold-up  line  myself,  you  knowT'  he 
had  announced  with  that  half-satiric  smile  of  his. 
And  as  we  had  eaten  supper  together  that  m'gfat  he 
had  tentatively  though  flippantly  suggested  that  we 
go  into  partnership.  G>uld  he  have  been  more  nn- 
cere  than  I  imagined  when  he  put  that  qtMstion  to 
me?  And  was  he  in  aomt  way  associated  with 
Copperhead  Kate's  visit  to  that  house  of  plots  and 
counter-plots  ?  Could  he,  after  all,  be  a  sort  of  Bud 
Griswold  in  a  Fifth  Avenue  setting,  gomg  bade  to 
comi^ete  a  haul  which  mi»t  in  some  way  have  mis- 
carried? 

Then  I  stq>ped  thinking  altogether.  For  as  I  sat 
Jiere  in  the  darkness  of  the  car  I  cau^t  sig^t  of  a 
second  man  in  a  rain-coat  as  he  rtof^ed  before  the 
house,  looked  about,  and  then  hurried  up  the  steps. 

This  second  man,  I  saw,  todc  out  a  pass-key,  un- 
lodced  the  door  and  swung  it  open.  But  iht  mo- 
moit  he  did  so  tiie  muffl«l  sound  of  a  revolver-abc^ 
fang  out  from  die  house  ht  was  about  to  enter. 

The  effect  of  diat  Ami  on  him  was  'nitantMwyHWi 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  209 


He  dove  in  through  the  door,  without  even  waiting 
to  swing  it  shut  after  him.  And  in  two  shakes  I 
was  up  out  of  that  seat  and  out  of  that  automobile 
and  skipping  across  the  asphalt  pools. 

"Me  for  the  firing-line !"  I  announced  to  the  mid- 
night air,  as  I  made  for  that  still  open  door. 

I  still  had  Copperhead  Kate's  automatic  in  the 
slack  of  her  over-abundant  waist.  Never  in  all  my 
life  had  I  shot  oflF  a  pistol  and  I  doubt  if  I  could  have 
pulled  a  trigger  without  shutting  my  eyes,  ytt  I  felt 
decidedly  better  when  I  held  that  black-metaled  fire- 
arm once  more  in  my  hand.  For  the  house,  as  I 
stepped  into  it,  was  as  dark  as  pitch,  and  I  had  no 
idea  of  what  the  opening  of  the  first  door  might 
confront  me  with. 

So  I  stood  there  for  a  minute  or  two,  straining 
both  my  ears  and  my  eyes.  But  I  saw  nothing,  and 
heard  nothing.  I  groped  my  way  deeper  into  the 
house.  Then  I  suddenly  stopped,  and  listened 
again.  A  moment  later  I  turned  to  the  right,  felt 
ray  way  through  an  open  door,  and  listened  still 
again. 

This  time  I  distinctly  caught  the  sound  of  a  voice. 
It  was  a  woman's  voice.  It  was  not  a  loud  voice, 
for  it  came,  apparently,  from  a  cbsed  room,  even 


210      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


though  that  room  lay  somewhere  m  the  hnmeditte 
neighborhood.  But  it  was  an  angry  vtnce,  tense, 
imperative,  shrill  with  indignation. 

I  groped  my  way  slowly  onward,  with  fingers  out- 
stretched, like  the  whiskers  of  a  house-cat,  until  I 
came  to  a  wall.  Then  I  felt  akmg  this  wall  until  I 
reached  a  door.  I  found  the  knob,  nursed  it  care- 
fully in  my  hand,  and  slowly  turned  it 

The  door  opened  widiout  a  sound.  But  across 
that  door,  I  saw,  hung  a  pair  of  heavy  portieres. 
So  I  parted  these,  cautiously,  where  a  thin  pencil 
of  light  showed  akmg  their  edges.  And  as  I  did 
so  I  beheld  a  scene  which  left  me  all  eyes,  and  a  little 
flighty  in  the  region  where  that  heavy  automatic  had 
been  hanging  for  so  l<mg.  . 

For  directly  in  front  of  the  door,  with  her  back 
to  me,  I  saw  G>i^>erhead  Kate.  She  was  still 
dressed,  with  my  fiesh-colored  crepe-de-diine  nigh^ 
which  made  her  lode  ridiculous,  over  her  c^her 
ctothes,  but  over  the  night-dress  she  now  wor? 
man's  rain-coat  hanging  loose  at  the  front,  ^ier 
fringe  of  russet  bangs  was  disarranged,  and  as  she 
leaned  forward  with  her  head  thrust  ot^  there  was 
something  vindictive  and  tigerish  in  her  attitude, 
something  that  reminded  me  of  a  cat  that  had  made 
ready  to  spring.   She  was  no  longer  like  a  sadee; 


THE  HOt)S£  OF  INTRIGUE  211 


At  had  IcMt  too  tmidi  of  her  torpor  for  tint  But 
whtt  gsve  pdnt  to  her  attttiide  was  ^  lict  diat  in 
a  dose-crooked  right  hand,  poiwd  on  a  levd  whh 
her  breast,  she  hekl  a  blade-barreled  atttranatic  piitd, 
a  twin-itster,  apputntfy,  to  the  one  whidi  I  carried 
in  toy  own  scnnewhat  astounded  right  hand. 

Close  beside  her,  at  her  feet,  stood  the  blade  dub- 
bag  which  I  so  recently  had  seen  in  the  hand  of 
Wendy  Washburn.  But  along  the  opposite  wall  of 
the  room,  distinct  in  the  that  flooded  it  from 
ioor  to  oeiUng;  stood  a  nxitky  and  very  mdanchoSy 
iqppearing  row  of  men  and  women. 

They  stood  side  by  side  in  that  drained  and  un- 
natural portion  v^iidi  results  from  hoMxng  the 
hands  hi|^  above  the  head.  And  in  that  row  I  saw 
my  Hero-Man  hin»df»  and  dose  beside  him  Miss 
Ledwidge»  witfi  anger  more  than  apprdwnsian  on 
her  mdigmmt  face,  and  nect  to  her  again  Doctor 
Otto  Klinger,  with  beads  of  perspiration  on  his  f on* 
head  and  a  very  tndiealthy  color  about  Us  somewhat 
puffy  diedcs.  Next  came  old  Ezra  Tweedie  Bart- 
ktt,  with  Ins  wiaened  little  weasd  face  quivering 
with  eitiier  apprdiension  or  indigmttion,  I  couldn't 
tett  tHiidi.  Beside  him  stood  his  broto  Enoch, 
aqnmting  and  half-dosed  tytM  pbuxAf  btmnsg 
widialigMof  ioBenrevolt  Neet  to  Unt  hnaebed* 


212     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


up  figure  again  stood  the  butler  in  the  crimson* 
rambler  knickerbodcers,  with  his  white  stockings 
visibly  knocking  together  at  the  knees,  while  <»  the 
floor  sat  another  man  servant  in  uniform,  tying  a 
handkerchief  about  the  calf  of  his  leg  where  a  slow 
rivulet  of  the  color  of  raspberry  vinegar  stained  the 
white  stocking  and  flowed  on  down  into  the  broad- 
toed  patent-leather  service  pump.  As  he  worried 
over  this  improvised  bandage  he  emitted,  from  time 
to  tim^  a  loud  and  groaning  bleat.  But  this  bleat 
was  pretty  well  drowned,  as  a  rule,  in  the  quick  and 
impassioned  words  of  G>pperhead  Kate  as  she 
caused  her  pistol-end  to  waver  from  one  end  of  that 
ludicrous  line  to  the  other. 

"...  And  Fm  going  to  find  that 
out,"  I  could  hear  her  cry,  in  a  white  heat  of  anger, 
"or  I'm  going  to  blow  the  lid  off  the  whole  bunch 
of  you!  I  want  to  know  what's  going  on  in  this 
house,  and  who's  at  the  bottom  of  all  this  mix-up! 
I  want  to  know  why  that  calm-eyed  stiff  walked 
bade  in  here  with  this  bundi  of  swag!  And  |  want 
to  know  why  that  bltmd  porker  ttofe  pumped  about 
three  grains  of  morphine  into  me  when  I  was  up  on 
that  four-poster."  She  swung  abois  csk  the  clammy 
and  oowo^ng  Doctor  Klinger  with  hate  in  her  eye. 
It  was  some  dose,  my  fat  friend,  and  yo^d  V  had 


THS  ROUSE  09  INTRIGUE  313 


tat  idll  dreaming  of  home  and  mother  if  I  hadn't 
kamed  to  use  the  needle  before  bottle-washers  got 
to  dressing  themselves  in  daret-colored  pants  and 
hash-slingers  didn't  know  enough  to  stand  still  when 
;  there  was  a  gun  in  front  of  them  I  And  I  want  to 
know  what  that  rat-faced  old  gink  meant  by  trying 
to  throw  me  over  a  stair-banister,  and  where  that 
baby-eyed  gun-moll  went  with  my  clothes,  and  why 
all  you  gasoonies  think  just  because  I'm  a  woman  I 
haven't  the  nerve  to  put  a  half-omioe  of  lead  tbroug|i 
your  ribs !" 

I  realized  as  I  stood  there  that  my  rusty-haired 
friend  hadn't  been  christened  Copperhead  Kate  for 
nothing.  For  they  had  to  take  it  standing,  and 
oooe  of  them  showed  any  great  love  for  it 
But  not  one  of  them  said  a  word,  I  noticed,  and  not 
one  of  them  moved.  And  in  the  meantime  Copper^ 
head  Kate^  who  had  the  wh^-liand,  was  having  her 
little  say-so  out. 

"You  ain't  all  hollerin'  at  once,  are  you?  Well, 
if  that's  the  way  you  feel  about  it,  jurt  ke^  on 
holdin'  your  traps  shut.  And  don't  move-HBOt  a 
dam'  one  o'  you,  or  you'll  sure  be  trippin'  over  yotv 
own  tombstone!"  she  went  on  with  an  increasii^ 
show  of  anger.  "I'm  goin'  to  back  out  o'  this  door, 
and  s£  aiqr  mm  gngr  htn  wwti  to  tatom  dMaefe  imi 


214     THE  HOUSE  OP  IMTRIGIJB 


comin'  after  me,  he'll  get  what  Mister  Pink-pants 
on  the  floor  there  got !" 

Silence  for  one  short  moment  reigned  in  the 
room. 

"Just  a  moment,"  I  heard  my  Hero-Man  say,  as 
the  woman  in  the  rain-coat  started  to  back  toward 
the  portiere  where  I  stood.  "Would  you  mind  tell- 
ing me  just  why  you  happened  to  come  to  this 
house?" 

"That's  my  business !"  retorted  Copperhead  Kate. 

"But  I  have  a  particular  reason  for  asking,"  per- 
sisted the  man  at  the  end  of  that  dolorous  line.  He 
was  speaking  with  a  forced  politeness  which,  had  I 
stood  in  Katie's  shoes,  I'd  have  accqpted  as  a  daqp^ 
signal. 

"And  I  have  a  particular  reason  for  keeping  my 
mouth  shut,"  announced  Copperhead  Kate,  whose 
temper,  that  night,  had  ahready  been  tried  beyond 
all  endurance. 

"You  may  think  differently,  the  next  time  we 
meet,"  ventured  my  Hero-Man. 

The  gentle  Katie  snorted  aloud.  "And  when  are 
we  going  to  meet?"  she  demanded. 

"Much  socmer,  I  imagine,  than  yon  sem  to  an- 
ticipate," was  the  other's  reply. 

The  woman  with  the  automatic  stepped  toward 


THE  HOUSE  OP  Zii 


him,  moving  forward  with  a  slow  and  cat-like  tread. 
But  there  was  a  menace  in  every  movement  And 
the  black  pistol,  I  noticed,  waa  trained  directly  at 
Wendy  Washburn's  head. 

"For  two  pins  I'd  plug  you  where  you  standi" 
she  said.  But  she  said  it  with  an  ominous  quietncM 
that  gave  me  goose-flesh  from  the  ground  up. 

".\nd  what  good  would  that  do  you?"  asked  the 
man  so  quietly  confronting  her.  But  he  ktgi  lua 
troubled  eyes  on  that  barrel-end  all  the  time. 

"It  might  do  me  more  good  than  you  imagine  f 
she  retorted  with  unrf/*erved  malignity. 

"Then  don't  let  me  interfere  with  ai^  of  your 
pmsonal  pleasuref,"  was  i  e  other's  qui^toned 
nply.  It  seoned  to  puzzle  the  threatening  woman 
for  a  moment,  for  she  gave  a  cat-like  "sphttf*  at  him 
«  the  stood  somewhat  frowningly  regarding  hta 
fn^asaive  face.  Then  she  backed  slowly  away,  and 
om:e  more  dominated  the  entire  line  with  her  black- 
metaled  barrel. 

"This  is  going  to  do  the  talking  for  me,"  she  told 
them,  with  a  wave  of  her  automatic  "And  it  wcm't 
need  to  speak  twice.  So  mind  what  I've  tokl  yoti, 
and  stay  where  you  are.  And  the  koger  yon  itay 
there  the  safer  it'll  be  for  you." 

Still  agam  she  atarled  to  fall  back,  catdiing  19 


216     THB  HOUSE  OP  IMTRIGUB 


the  blick  club-bag  is  she  did  so.  But  rjever  once 
did  her  eyes  leave  that  silent  line  as  she  continued 
to  back  step  by  step  toward  the  heavy  portiires. 
And  every  eye  in  that  line,  as  she  went,  followed 
her  minutest  movement  She  stopped  only  when 
she  felt  the  weight  of  the  heavy  draperies  againil 
her  shoulders. 

I  drew  away,  suddenly,  as  her  left  hand  swung 
the  bag  back  through  the  portieres  and  dropped  it  to 
the  floor.  Once  this  hand  was  free,  she  began  feel- 
ing for  the  door,  padding  about  to  find  the  key  that 
stood  in  the  lock.  But  all  the  while  she  was  stup- 
ing that  ckMdy  watchmg  line  of  her  enemies. 

It  was  her  intention,  I  saw,  to  swing  the  doMr 
shut,  lock  it  and  make  her  getaway  before  they 
oould  break  through.  It  was  a  well-thought-out 
maneuver,  but  it  had  jtirt  one  defect  There  wai 
jmt  one  factor  she  wit  not  figuring  oWi  And  that 


CHAPTER  TWELVE 

I WAITED  tntil  CopftAmd  Kate  hud  cdfed 
hiai^  timi^  tH  iNivy  loldi  of  iMfocadid 
▼iioar,  with  lier  pittol '  .A  HOI  intidt  M|^tfi| 

room.  TlMBldtcMtdtofrtrHidir  lorlMr. 

TboM  porttirM,  I  nw»  would  Intp  htr  cxteiKM 
jrifhtbaiid  fmm  mOdag  mi^  n§iA  mofmmm  t/y^ 
wafdtiwntr.  So  I  vrntitd  tiit  iwld  on  117  own 
amoiBilie  aad  itiMd  ft  ^ovt  nqr  hold.  As  Ite 
%im  is  tfw  niiKeM  paAed  stm  deeper  in  timN^ 
the  myinf  <kaperiet  I  brot^  tintt  bctvy  omm  of 
metal  down  on  Hie  extended  lonafm  with  aS  the 
lof«e  I  eooid  pot  teto  tiie  bbw.  Al^Maeao- 
nent  I  pMhed  Goppeihiad  Kate  bodQx  and  none 
too  ffentljr  tech  hito  the  %hted  room.  She  ftam- 
Ided  and  fdl  forwatd^wfth  »  Waqthemom  little  gasp, 
at  abnoil  the  aame  moment  tfnit  her  ^etol  dropped 
to  dw  floor. 

I  ma  alter  dMift  pistol  aa  qitlefc  at  a  Ifnx,  and 
belofe  ni]r  aatomded  friend  Katie  coidd  ao  much  at 
eel  to  her  feat,  and  even  befoee  the  aitoanded  Bne 
at  the  fur  aide  of  die  room  oodid  reaSse  what  had 

217 


218     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


happened,  I  was  stationed  there  m  front  of  the  por- 
tieres with  a  bladc-l»mled  automatic  in  either  hand 
and  fire  in  my  eye.  And  it  was  my  turn,  I  knew,  to 
take  a  hand  in  the  little  drama. 

"Put  up  those  hands,"  I  told  the  startled  woman 
as  she  turned  and  stared  at  me  with  empty  and  ex- 
pressionless eyes. 

"For  the  love  of  MikeT*  she  murmured,  a  little 
stupid  with  surprise. 

"Then  get  back  in  that  linel  Get  bade  there, 
quick,  or  you'll  be  swallowing  a  dose  of  the  same 
bitters  you've  been  talking  about  giving  every  one 
else!" 

Copperhead  Kate  fell  bade,  step  by  step,  until  she 
stood  between  the  fat  doctor  and  Ezra  Twee<Ke 
Bartlett  himsdf.  I  caught  a  grunt  of  relief  from 
that  rat-fa<xd  old  rascal  as  she  did  so.  But  fnmi 
the  man  in  evening  dothes,  at  the  far  tad  of  that 
line,  came  a  quirt  l»it  distinct  sound  of  laughter. 

I  turned  on  him  sharply,  but  he  didn't  seem  in  the 
least  afraid  of  me. 

"Ihis  is  an  awfully  uncomfortable  position,  yoa 
know,"  he  quietly  reminded  me.  "And  under  the 
circumstances,  I  think  you'll  admit,  altogether  un- 
necessary." 

My  first  impulse  was  to  resent  that  speech,  a» 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGXm  219 


an  impertitience.  Then  I  remembered  that  Wendy 
Washburn  had  hi^<  royzA  way  of  seeming  ri^t»  evos 
when  he  was  in  t  ;e  wrong,  and  that  if  it  came  to  a 
backdown  Vd  finr  it  ro  easy  Jiing  to  keep  my  por- 
tion a  dignified  one.  I  remembered,  too,  that  there 
was  scarcely  a  chance  of  any  nwmber  of  that  groiq» 
being  armed.  It  was  ten  to  of«,  had  a^  of  tlwm 
been  heeled,  that  Copperhead  Kate's  q>eechifying 
wooki  have  been  punctuated  fay  a  randcmi  bullet  cur 
two.  And  if  you  think  it's  easy  to  stand  with  your 
hands  above  your  head,  for  even  five  minutes  at  a 
time,  try  it  just  once  in  front  of  a  ckx^f 

"All  rigfatr  I  announced  in  n^  grandest  manner, 
'^ott  can  stand  at  ease  there,  the  whole  bt  of  yon  r 
For  I  was  tired  myself  and  it  mig^  not  be  so  pr«^- 
able,  in  the  end,  to  add  to  tiieir  troubles. 

I  couhi  hear  Hkt  sigh  of  relief  that  went  up  from 
tiat  weary  array  of  figures.  A  dozen  adung  arms, 
I  noticed,  were  very  pron^tly  lowered. 

"BiA  no  shifting  in  the  liner  I  anwnnandtd,  at  I 
,  gave  my  fat  bk»d  doetcHT  the  fi^  ben^  of  a  bttfd- 
cnd  against  his  vest  front  He  made  a 
move,  as  though  to  drop  b^ind  the  others,  poesildy 
with  a  view  toward  boitiiv  for      door.  And  I 

hdd  them  there  fike  a  drai^Mffeank,  w^  the  two 
•ttteOMttiei  wavcriac  vp  md  do«m  lhair  FM§ 


220     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Mary's.  For  I  meant  tmsiness  and  I  wanted  them 
to  know  it. 

"I  guess  it's  my  turn  to  put  a  few  questions  to 
this  little  party,"  I  told  them  as  I  backed  slowl> 
away,  so  as  to  command  a  better  view  of  die  line  as 
a  whole.  "And  I'm  going  to  get  answers  to  'em  oi 
you're  going  to  dance  high.  Now,  you,"  I  contin- 
ued, confronting  the  smoldering-eyed  Copperhead 
Kate,  "how  did  you  get  into  this  house  to-night?" 

"I  guess  I  walked  in,"  was  her  sullenly  insolent 
answer. 

"Rig^t  through  a  bdced  door?" 

**Oht  I've  been  carrying  a  pass-key  to  this  house 
lor  a  week  or  more,"  she  airily  acknowledged. 

"Where'd  you  get  that  Hey?" 

**A  genTmaa  friend  o'  mine  cut  it  from  a  blank." 

"And  you  came  to-nig^t  to  make  your  haul?" 

"Sure  I  You  know  that  without  askin'  me !" 

"But  what  made  you  ccxat  to  this  particular 
hooser  I  demanded,  determined  to  get  a  snari  or 
two  out  of  that  tang^  wlnle  the  diaiwe  was  be- 
fore  me. 

"I  liked  Ae  kwks  of  it,"  was  Copp«head  Kate's 
aUogether  unsatisfactory  retort 

"But  who'd  toM  you  about  ^  wall-safe  ti^ 
•t»r8?"  I  pertbted. 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE  221 


"I  must  *ve  dreamed  it,"  she  equivocated. 
"Who  told  you?"  I  insisted. 
"A  butler  who  yfi*a  fired  frcnn  hat  cariy  last 
winter." 

"And  that  batkr  knew  valuable  ps^ers  were  in 

this  safe?" 

She  blinked  at  me  meditatively.  Then  she 
laughed. 

"Gee,  no!  All  I  was  after  was  shiners— what 
your  friend  Bud  used  to  call  ice." 

"Never  mind  my  friend  Bud,"  I  called  out  to  htr, 
lesenting  the  note  of  mockery  that  had  crept  into 
her  voice.  "But  be  so  good  as  to  tell  me  how  yon 
got  hold  of  this  second  antomatk." 

Copperhead  Kate  hesitated  for  a  moment  Her 
face  looked  gentnnely  perfdexed. 

"A        gave  it  to  me^**  At  SmMy  es^ained. 

An  uneasy  move  went  down  the  line. 

"A  what?"  I  demanded. 

"I  was  lyin'  txp  m  ^  foiv<poster  wlin  some- 
thing in  white,  with  a  white  face,  crept  ii^  die  focni. 
It  came  over  to  the  bed.  It  stood  tec,  wklioal 
MMriBg.  Then  witliotit  a  word  it  ^bopped  lliitt  gim 
into  my  hand  and  turned  and  d^ped  out  of  gbe 
room  again." 

Hm  WM  a^  taete  o^itefy  k  U  tro^ 


222     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


house  of  mysteries !  And  I  had  no  reason  to  siispect 
that  Copperhead  Kate  wasn't  telling  the  truth. 

"What  did  the  visitor  look  like?"  I  asked. 

"Like  the  morgue  at  four  a.  m.  !"  announced  the 
worn  01  with  the  thatch  of  russet  bangs. 

"But  surely  you  saw  her  face." 

Copperhead  Kate  shrugged  a  non-committal 
shoulder. 

"There  wasn't  any  too  much  light  burning  in  that 
big  bedroom.  And  I  was  so  glad  to  get  the  gun  I 
didn't  ask  for  any  identification  cards !" 

"You  just  got  busy  rounding  up  your  friends 
here?" 

Copperhead  Kate  stood  regarding  them  with  open 
contempt. 

"All  but  that  cuff-shooter  at  the  far  end  there. 
He  had  the  nerve  to  walk  in  on  me  with  that  club- 
bag  of  mine  right  in  his  hand.  So  I  just  took  him 
in  under  my  wing." 

"Is  that  uitt?"  I  asked,  turning  to  Wendy  Wash- 
burn. 

"Too  true,"  was  his  flippantly  solemn  retort.  He 
was  not  taking  the  situation,  I  could  see,  in  quite 
the  same  qnrit  as  the  others  were.  He  was  stiU  a 
puzzle  to  me.  Every  time  I  wanted  to  believe  m 
lum  tPffitthing  turned  up  to  make  that  belwl  impot" 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  223 


^Ue.  And  I  oouldti't  Iielp  still  quesdoning,  even  at 
he  stood  before  me,  whether  he  was  m  a  mf»iptft 
with  Copperhead  Kate  or  not 

Yet  I  couldn't  stand  there  all  nig^t  tiiird-degree- 
ing  that  Ime  of  altogether  unwilling  witnesses.  So 
I  cut  tilings  short  by  swinging  about  to  old  Ezra 
Bartlett 

"I  want  to  know  what  you  did  with  diat  body?** 
I  ihot  out  at  him  strai^^  from  the  shoulder. 

"That  what?**  suddenly  demancted  Wendy  Wash- 
bum,  from  tiie  end  of  the  Ime. 

''Could  I  say  a  word  or  two?**  ahnost  as  promptly 
requested  Miss  Ledwidge,  who  until  this  moment 
had  remained  bodi  silent  and  passive. 

*Wo,**  I  told  her.  "It's  this  human  house-rat  I 
want  to  talk  to  f* 

I  rq)eated  my  question  to  Ezra  Bartlett. 

"But  what  body?"  again  interrupted  Wendy 
Washburn,  with  an  actual  note  of  anxiety  in  his 
voice. 

"There's  a  dead  woman  somewhere  in  this  house,** 
I  informed  him,  "and  I  want  to  know  what  became 
of  her  r 

"A  dtad  woman?"  he  echoed,  peering  along  the 
Ihie.  ^ 

"Yes,  and  if  I'm  not  greatly  mistaken,  that 


224     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


woman  was  murdered,  omd  nmritrtd  by  somebody 
m  tkb  roomf* 

There  was  an  uneasy  stir  along  that  line  of 
anxious  faces.  I  could  even  hear  Copperiiead 
Kate's  soft  murmur  of  "Hully  GeeT  and  see  her 
aleei^  eyts  widoi  with  the  shodc  of  what  she  had 
heard.  But  I  wasn't  thinking  so  mudi  about  Cop- 
periiead  Kate  as  I  was  about  old  Ezra  Bartlctt,  who 
stood  there  blinkii^  abstractedly  at  the  barrd  of  my 
autcHnatic.  His  body  nevor  shifted  an  inch  but  his 
eye  followed  my  movements  so  dosely  tiuit  it  maite 
nw  think  of  a  zoo  mgle  Minking  at  a  visitor  <m  a 
rainy  day. 

"And  you,  you  weasd-faced  <^  rat,"  I  cried  out 
at  him,  hot  with  an  unreasonii^  indignatioo  whidi 
I  couldn't  control,  "I  want  to  know  what  you're 
doing  about  that  will  you're  trying  to  put  ovtr  on 
this  house  f 

"What  does  she  mean  by  that?"  cut  in  Wendy 
Washburn,  frcmi  his  end  of  iht  line.  There  was  a 
note  in  his  voice  that  puzzled  me,  a  note  of  author- 
ity,  of  impatieiKX,  as  thouf^  ht  had  a  perfect  riglil 
to  ask  tlM  question  he  had. 

I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  answered  the  okl  weaad, 
k)oking  me  straight  in  ^  eyt.  'Tor  I  never  saw 
tills  young  woman  before  in  my  lifet" 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  225 

The  quiet  assurance*  tiie  calm  soknuiity,  with 
which  he  made  that  preposterous  statement  rather 
took  my  breath  away.  The  deceit  of  the  old  scoun- 
drel was  incredible.  And  I  felt  sure  it  would  be 
easy  enough  to  prove  that  he  was  telling  aiqrthiiig 
but  the  truth. 

"You  know  that's  a  lie,  d<m't  yon?"  I  challenged, 
turning  to  Alicia  Ledwidge. 

"You  ordered  me  to  keep  out  of  this  family  ccm- 
ference,"  she  coolly  retorted,  "and  I  piefer  to  take 
your  advice !" 
I  stepped  in  f nmt  of  Do^nr  Klinger. 
"Have  you  ever  seen  me  htfortf*  1  demanded. 
"Never !"  was  his  somewhat  disqutetii^  tqrfy. 
The  wh<^  Hang  was  gettu^  mcne  and  more  like 
a  nightmare.   I  was  b^;imih^  to  tote  my  pei'speO" 
tive.  And  what  was  mom,  my  arms  were  begin- 
ning to  ache  with  Hit  wei|^  of  those  two  heavy 
automatics. 

The  man  at  the  end  of  the  line  seemed  to  notioe 
this.  I  could  see  him  smile  a  litiie  as  he  wkaessed 
the  palskd  motion  which  siy  ovostratned  arm- 
muscles  were  giving  to  the  two  pi8tc44)arrds. 

"Don't  yon  mek  k  mM  ^  as  w#  t»  pel 
tiiem  down  aow?^  he  cahnly  loqidfrd. 

"They're  not  goiag  down       yon  answer  me  « 


226     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


question  or  two,"  I  told  him.  The  way  in  which  I 
barked  out  those  words  came  as  a  surprise  to  me. 
I  knew  that  I  was  slowly  but  surely  losing  my  sense 
of  humor. 

"What  is  it  you  want  to  kaowV  my  deposed 
Hero-Man  was  asking  me. 

"The  first  thing  I  want  to  know  is  where  you  got 
a  key  to  this  house." 

He  looked  up  at  me,  apparently  perplexed. 

"Didn't  you  drop  a  kf  y  into  that  black  bag  of 
yours?"  he  asked. 

"No,  I  didn't.  And  I  don't  believe  you  ever 
found  one  there !" 

"My  dear  young  lady,  you  can  believe  what  you 
like.  But  really,  you  know,  I  don't  carry  pass-keys 
for  every  house  in  Manhattan  I" 

"But  you  carried  one  for  this  house  I" 

"Which  I  should  never  have  done  if  you  hadn't 
happened  to  be  carrying  the  family  jewels  of  the 
same  place  1" 

He  didn't  seem  a  bit  afraid  of  me.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  seemed  to  be  enjoying  some  unknown  joke 
at  my  expense.  He  seemed  to  be  lau'^hing  at  me 
in  his  sleeve,  as  he  had  so  often  dont  before.  But 
I  wasn't  playing  second  fiddle,  that  night,  to  any- 
body, and  this  fact  I  intended  to  make  quite  dear 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  227 


to  him,  even  timii^  I  was  begfaniiif  to  uk  aqri^ 
jutt  bow  madt  longer  I  cooki  kcq>  thoie  autocnatks 
poked  in  their  Cmcs. 

His  own  face  soddeidy  grew  leriow. 

"And  the  valuables  you  carried  away  from  tiiia 
house  in  that  bag,  I  trust,  are  still  hi  that  bag  r  he 
suddeidy  flung  out  at  nie< 

It  was  more  a  reminder,  I  thnik,  than  either  s 
challei^  or  a  question.  My  first  hufwdse  was  to 
resentit  But  it  was  really  meant  to  serve,  I  began 
to  see,  as  a  tip  en  the  wing.  It  indirectly  warned 
me  that  the  matter  of  the  cteb-bag  had  passed 
pietely  ottt  of  my  mind. 

I  remembered,  with  a  sitddc^T  Ming;  that  this 
precious  bag  had  been  dropped  out  throu^  the  por- 
t^res.  And  it  was  not  the  sOTt  of  thing  one  wanted 
to  leave  lying  about  ni  tiie  daric  on  the  far  side  of  a 
door* 

At  Ae  same  moment  tfat  tins  fact  oune  home  to 
me  I  b^;an  bacidng  away  from  that  ragged  line  of 
datives,  cdgiiqf  always  tow»d  those  heavy  por^ 
tito  that  swung  between  me  and  the  neitt  loom. 

A  csmpk  of  the  figures  m  Um»  I  noticed*  ex- 
changed  g^nees.  It  w»  a  dgma  whi^  m^  have 
meant  anydihig.  BtA  I  knew  better  tian  to  tidei 
Andit  pofled  me  «|»  sbort 


228     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"Any  one  of  you  trying  to  move,"  I  told  them 
with  all  the  show  of  ferocity  I  could  throw  iBta>  the 
wotdtt  "will  get  a  hole  put  through  you  lo  qa&dk 
you'll  never  know  what  hit  you!" 

I  could  see  Wendy  Washburn,  at  the  end  of  the 
liae*  hixtiriste  in  one  of  hit  enigmatic  wxl  momeS" 
tary  milet.  But  I  had  no  time  to  worry  over  what 
it  mffurt.  I  wanted  HsMt  Uadc  dnb^^jear  bade*  is 
my  hand. 

So  I  continued  to  yw  off  toward  the  portiAreiy 
Tery  mneii  as  Copfieriiead  Kate  had  done  before  me. 

I  was  ^*ing  no  such  cfaaaoes,  however,  as  that 
crhnson-curniced  lady  of  adventure,  for  as  I  e<%ed 
m  between  tiie  dtaperies,  I  advanced  one  hand  with 
tiie  automatic  poised  and  ready,  ktefSng  it  idwayt 
ahead  of  mt.  fmft  as  with  the  other  hand  I  oonthi- 
ued  to  mentu^  ^  patient-eyed  row  of  %itres  stamt 
ing  for  an  the  worid  like  an  awkward  squad  at  ^ 
far  side  of  ^  l^^ited  room. 

In  two  seeonds,  I  told  niysdf  ,  I  couM  be  back  in 
tiie  Bghted  room  wi^  the  bag  m  my  hand.  And  I 
naa  mem  foo  weu  unoer  cover  u>  fpsvtt  mem  waj 
ciianoe  lor  a  breakaway. 

wnn  WIS  wot^  1  was  watentwg  mem  cteiy  mo* 
aHBlofte  tinib  If y  ^  was  on  tfiem  even  as  I 
groped  tof  the  bm^:  fomd  &e  liindfc  witA  dnldMd 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  229 


both  the  pistol  and  the  bag-handle  between  the  same 
fingers. 

So  intently  was  I  watching  them,  in  fact,  that  I 
saw  nothing  else  that  was  taking  place  much  closer 
to  me. 

My  first  intimation  of  this  came  with  startling 
unexpectedness.  It  came  in  the  form  of  a  long 
arm  girdling  my  waist,  pinning  my  left  hand  to  my 
side  at  the  same  time  that  it  lifted  me  slightly  off 
my  feet.  And  the  next  moment  my  other  arm  wa» 
also  in  chancery. 

"It's  all  right!  I've  got  her!"  called  out  a  deep 
bass  voice  close  to  my  ear.  And  startled  as  I  was, 
I  knew  that  it  was  Big  Ben  Locke  himself,  who  had 
spoken. 

I  knew  it  even  before  he  carried  me  kicking  and 
struggling  into  the  lighted  room,  where  that  line  of 
worthies  who'd  been  so  meek  and  motionless  a  min- 
ute before  now  exploded  into  sudden  action.  They 
came  running  and  flocking  about  me,  none  of  them 
exactly  breaking  their  neck  to  hide  their  satisfaction 
at  the  somewhat  undignified  figure  which  I  must 
have  presented. 

"Steady,  my  girl,  steady!'*  warned  Big  Ben,  as 
he  held  me  in  a  clutch  that  would  have  done  credit 
to  a  grizsly.  Then  he  proceeded  first  to  take  »way 


230     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


my  two  immrtiri,  and  then  the  dub-b«g  full  of 
loot. 

I  wasn't  so  interested  in  this,  at  the  moment,  as  I 
was  in  the  discovery  that  Copperhead  Kate,  taking 
advantage  of  that  distracting  movement,  had  sidled 
closer  about  to  the  portieres  and  was  creeping  unob- 
served out  through  them.  I  called  to  the  big  hulk 
still  holding  me,  but  he  was  too  intent  on  the  bird  in 
his  hand  to  think  of  the  one  slipping  off  through  the 
bush.  Then  I  twisted  about  and  tried  to  gasp  out  a 
hurried  word  of  warning  to  Wendy  Washburn 
himself. 

But  my  one-time  Hero-Man,  I  discovered,  had 
also  quietly  and  mysteriously  vanished  from  the 
room.  And  I  found  something  in  the  well-timed 
disappearance  of  those  two  figures  which  seemed  to 
crown  my  darkest  suspicions. 

"What'U  we  do  with  her?"  Big  Ben  was  demand- 
ing, a  little  out  of  breath,  for  I  was  still  fighting 
like  a  terrier  to  break  away  from  that  80Uth-|iaw 
clutch  of  his. 

It  was  the  weasel-eyed  old  Ezra  Bartlett  who  an- 
swered that  question.  He  had  been  stooping  before 
me,  in  a  sort  '  a  crouch,  with  his  claw-like  hands 
over  his  slightly  crooked  knees,  sitaring  exultantly 
Into  my  face.  I'd  been  too  busy  to  give  hiai  aaefa 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  231 


attntkn.  Bnt  Ut  ctftter  air  of 
neu  hftd  falkn  awmy  from  him.  MiimmlwM 


see  him  positively  licking  his 

•^e'd  better  fcxk  her  19  in  tlM  Un 
announced,  "for  there  are  a 
young  woman,  yoo  atiU  have  tmmnm  lor  r 

"And  things  we've  all  got  ta  Inwir  hele«r  M 
girl  gets  out  of  this  hoMe,"  e^oed  dd 
Enoch,  with  a  tremnkma  haad  o^ped 
promment  ear,  wfakh  «ade  his  Mr  r*«  « tafeWt 

It  was  then  that  I  tfflMad  about  at^    ed  to 
Big  Ben  Locke  listen  to  reaaoo. 

"Chief,"  I  gasped  o«t  to  hkm,  "foa've  sMbled 
into  one  of  the  biggest  caaes  yoo  ever  strode,  but  for 
the  love  of  heaven,  Uite  to  me  b^ere  yoa  do  any- 
thing!" 

"Listen  to  your  he  echoed,  wiA  a  lip<i»i  of 
scorn.  "Didn't  I  have  die  pleaanre  of  listeifai'  to 
you  for  considerate  time  lUt  afteiaooii?  And  do 
you  expect  me  to  hoier  for  an  encore  on  Aat  sort 

of  talk?" 

"But  things  have  happened  since  then,"  I  tdd 
him,  "things  that  change  everything." 

"Yes,  it  sure  teote  t9ce  h,"  he  annownrrdj  aa  ha 
dropped  my  second  automatic  into  his  podait 

"Bring  her  abngl"  commanded  Ezra  Bartlett,  in 


232     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


hit  aqoeak  of  a  voioe»  as  Iw  waited  snpa^oitljr  «t 
tiie  <^)en  door. 

''Chief/'  I  said  widi  all  the  sokmnitjr  I  could  ttmi- 
mon  up,  '^there's  been  wone  than  murder  take  pboe 
in  this  house  to-dayf 

'Tes»  I  sure  saw  you  meant  bunness  wkfa  Aose 
two  guns  o'  yonrsT  was  his  Bxppaat  retort 

''Butlcanex^aineverystepof tfuit  Iwasonly 
acting  as  any  one  of  your  operatives  would  act  tmder 
the  drcumstaaoes,"  I  said,  as  he  began  to  half  drag 
and  half  carry  mt  across  the  room.  For  old  Ezra 
Bartlett  had  repeated  his  impatient  command  that  I 
be  brouj^  along. 

"But  you're  no  longer  an  operative  of  mine,"  ^ 
bulky  man  at  my  side  reminded  me.  "And  we  get 
one  every  now  and  then,  you  know,  who  turns  out 
badr 

'Then  ask  Wendy  Washburn  who  brou^t  me 
into  this  houser  I  told  him,  for  I  was  desperate 
now.  I  was  deqierate  enough  to  eat  crow  before 
the  two  of  tfienL 

"Wendy  Wadibural  Who's  Wendy  Wash- 
bum?"  demanded  my  captor,  staring  zbatst  the 
room.  And  of  course  there  was  no  Wendy  Wash- 
bum  there. 

"He's  a  friend  of  mhw,"  I  told  hhn. 


TH£  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  233 


"You  mean  a  confederate,"  corrected  the  Chief, 
And  I  saw  that  he  didn't  intend  to  give  me  the 
chance  I  was  fighting  for. 

"Then  you're  not  going  to  listen  to  me !"  I  said 
it  in  almost  a  scream,  for  my  nerves  were  on  edge 
and  I  saw  my  last  hope  vanishing. 

"All  I  know,  young  woman,  is  that  you're  under 
arrest.  And  that's  about  all  I  want  to  know  just 
nowl"  As  he  said  this  he  brought  my  wrists  to- 
gether with  a  movement  that  was  as  quick  as  it  was 
clever,  and  clicked  a  pair  of  nickeled  handcuffs  over 
them. 

I  stared  down  at  them  rather  stupidly.  It  was 
my  first  experience  with  such  things.  And  it  took 
the  fight  out  of  me,  for  the  moment,  as  completely 
as  the  thump  of  a  night-stick  could. 

"And  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  me?"  I 
asked,  still  staring  down  at  the  imprisoning  rings  of 
polished  metal. 

"We're  going  to  put  you  where  you'll  be  safe 
until  we  can  get  you,  you  and  one  or  two  others  in 
this  house,  down  to  headquarters  I"  Big  Ben  ex- 
plained as  he  followed  the  shifty-eyed  old  weasel  up 
the  stairway. 

I  had  no  choice  in  the  matter.  I  had  to  go.  I 
had  to  subimt  to  th«  tteady  tug  of  that  big  bn^  at 


234     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


lie  led  me  down  a  daifceaed  hallway  and  into  a  room 
whidi  Ezra  Bartlett  had  abea^jr  thrown  open  for 
tu. 

This*!!  doT  announced  Big  Ben,  as  he  ushered 
me  into  that  unlighted  diamber.  Then  he  loolced 
over  his  shoulder  to  make  sure  Ezra  Bartlett  wasn't 
within  hearing  distance. 

••listen  to  me,**  he  said  in  a  hurried  whisper. 
•This  is  a  bluff,  remember.  There's  a  mix-up  here 
I've  got  to  get  to  tb :  bottom  of.  And  if  you  stay 
quiet  in  this  room,  Baddie,  until  I  can  come  and  get 
you,  you'll  be  helping  me  out  of  a  hole !" 

"I  don't  believe  you,"  I  told  him,  between  puffs, 
to^  I  was  still  fighting  for  breath. 

'Then  what're  you  going  to  do?"  he  demanded 
in  his  heavy  whisper.   He  was  at  least  a  good  actor. 

•*Why  don't  you  listen  to  me,"  I  cried  out  at  him. 
"VHay  haven't  you  the  brains  to  see  a  thing  when 
if  s  under  your  nose  1" 

*THushl"  he  warned  me,  with  a  glance  toward  the 
door.  "There's  more  under  my  nose  than  you 
inagine.  And  I  can't  explain  things.  You've  just 
got  to  accq)t  what  I'm  handing  you.  I  want  you  to 
•tay  in  this  room  until  you  hear  from  me !" 

His  hand  dropped  from  my  arm,  and  he  was 
aooss  the  room  before  I  could  realize  it 


THE  HOUSE  OF  BftBSGVE  235 


'^ntil  yon  hear  from  me,"  he  repeated  in  a  whis- 
per, as  he  swung  the  door  shut.  The  next  moment 
I  could  catch  the  tonnd  ol  the  key  tuniing  ta  the 
lock. 

I  woke  up  to  the  fact,  as  I  stood  there  in  the  dark- 
ness, that  I  was  crying  a  Uttle,  crying,  I  think,  from 
sheer  exasperation,  from  sheer  helplessness.  And 
I  was  so  tired,  I  remembered,  that  my  joints  ached. 

Those  hundred  and  one  aches  in  my  body,  how- 
ever, weren't  half  so  hard  to  put  up  with  as  that 
misery  of  nad  whidi  came  fnxn  knowing  that  I 
had  made  a  mess  of  everything.  Every  ticp  1*4 
taken  had  been  a  mttfkffi  And  the  memory  of  it 
all  siKi^nly  made  me  see  red.  For  a  little  while 
there  fai  that  nnligfatod  rocxn  X  wasn't  s^rthii^  bel- 
ter than  a  Chatham  Sqmre  aaudait  on  the  ram- 
page. I  I  «o«Ud  have  bkiwa  tq^.att  New  Yotk 
and  fiddled  over  the  ruim,  UIbs  a  Ncfo  m  p^ttooats* 

But  miteadol  btowfag  ap  aH  Manhattan.  I  mopped 
flsy  cye%  groped  my  wiqr  to  tiw  wafl,  fooada 
switedk  ttid  toiKDed  ob  the  ^ectrica. 

K  was  %  wfy  cowifof liblei  kjokiBy  foon  to  be  ft 
pfiboner  hi^  bvl  pnriod  fivniihmgi  wcfeo't  lOft 

X  triad  tiw  doot,  Iml  liit  gm  ma  no  hope  of  e»» 

^^^^^^^        vVi^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^^^w    ^^^^^  ^^^^^^L   ^s^^^^^   ^j^^A^k,  il^^^k 

^^^HBk       M.  M.  -^^B^^^IH '  mBF  '^^^B  InaE  k^^^B  -^^^Bk  ^^^B 


236     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


room  had  no  window.  So  I  went  back  to  the  door 
again.  It  was  very  heavy,  and  securely  locked.  I 
kicked  on  its  panels  with  all  my  force,  but  I  might 
as  well  have  kicked  against  a  brick  walL  Then  for 
a  minute  or  so  I  must  have  imagined  I  was  a  wlyrl- 
ing  dervish,  for  I  stood  there  pounding  on  the  upper 
panels  with  my  manacled  hands.  It  made  a  good 
deal  of  noise,  and  did  a  good  deal  of  damage  to  the 
highly  polished  woodwork.  But  that  was  the  oofy 
satisfaction  I  got  out  of  the  perforoiaiice.  And  I 
was  too  tired  to  waste  energy  as  a  paint-iemover, 
once  my  foolish  little  frenzy  had  worn  itself  out.  So 
I  backed  slowly  tmvy  from  the  door,  pcmdering  jurt 
what  my  next  move  would  be.  I  stood  there  in  studi- 
ous silence,  trying  to  goad  Hmt  tmpty  head  ol  mine 
into  grasping  an  idea  or  two. 

That  silence  was  suddenly  broken  by  three  k>w  yet^ 
distinct  taps  on  the  door  which  I  had  so  recently 
been  pounding.  I  moved  toward  tiiis  door,  wonder* 
tng  what  this  signal  mig^t  mean.  Theiv  as  I  still 
advanced,  the  lights  suddenly  went  out  and  I  ilood 
in  utter  darkness,  with  my  ihadded  hands  toucHag 
the  wall,  gropingly,  for  posnbte  guidttioe.  And  at 
I  stood  there  the  key  in  the  door  tmraed  firic^,  and 
the  door  itself  was  slowly  swtnf  back. 

It  was  not  swoof  fBtiiely  opo.  The  horn 


THE  HOUSE  OF  UTTRIGUE  237 


tiie  hall  without  was  quite  dim.  But  for  one  thad 
owy  moment  I  caught  sij^  of  a  shadowy  fignre  in 
white.  It  seemed  to  be  ^  figure  of  a  yoong 
woman.  The  face  of  Uus  Sgieat  durii^  that  brief 
view,  a{»peared  to  be  as  white  as  the  fioitfinf  white  of 
the  dothiag  she  wore.  She  did  not  speak. 

Before  she  disiqipeared,  however,  one  thin  white 
nana  was  screicneii  torwam,  towani  m^  i  tnoni^ 
at  Am  tnne^  and  was  then  withdrawn.  The  next 
moment  I  heuid  the  tiidde  of  m^al  on  tise  hardwood 
floor  at 

ao  tfie  docMT  swung  diut  A  moment  lator  the  deo- 
tncs  oowecca  ano  oooBwea  i^qpniCBoijr 
some  i^iraoa  ontsHie  oe  fOQin.  Ana  i  nooa  mere 
feeiinf  eacactfy  as  Horatb  most  have  f eh  that  night 
in  front  of  El^iore  Castle  idm  tfae|^hoat  of  Ham- 
lets fatiier  gave  ISm  the  once  ofver. 

*%Ki^'' I  satdtomfsdf  oat  kmd, ''f^  yoa*!* 
aeraig  imB|pi  ai^mi  or  meves  somBtimig  moum  uhs 
honse  dia^s  ntfiaptd  thf  nndtftdierf 


CHAPTER  THIRTEEN 


I STOOD  in  center  of  vBCf  pot|dcn)uitf  for- 
nislied  room  iA&Al  wu  in  retlhy  a  poodenmafy 
fortified  cell,  tryiiif  to  argue  the  natter  of  tbat 
i^fMUitiaii  out  with  vayw^L 

It  was  not  the  first  iSsAog  of  the  VaA  that  hid 
oonfroiited  ne  tiutt  aigfat  I  had  caiifl^  a  glinpee 
of  the  ^loetfy  head  that  had  i^peared  for  a  momeiit 
above  the  stair-railing.  Li^  on,  I  had  waBied 
past  the  qxparition  of  Bod  Griswdd  iii  the  Mrl^ 
rain;  And  Copperiicad  Kate  had  dedaied  tiukt  a 
q>ecter  had  ^pped  htfo  tiie  room  of  ^e  f ooi^^osiar 
and  dropped  aa  awtomatic  at  her  ddc^  before  ▼80" 
ishing. 

What  was  ^  meaning  of  it  an?  Whowaatiie 
white-faoed  wandoer  loitering  ao  amdoits-eyed 
about  the  house  of  mysteries?  And  "mtf  was  she 
so  afraid  of  beii^  seoi?  And  wlio  knew  of  her 
presence  there?  And  what  had  that  to  60  widi  the 
disappearance  of  the  dead  gbl  ^Ana  had  so  asjpsteri- 
ously  aiKldisturinngfy  Yanishedk^^kidr?  And, 
above  an,  what  was  Wendy  Washbofnfa  httereH  ia 

238 


THE  HOU^        INTRICRJE  239 

• 

tiiose  movements?  And  what  part  in  that  tangled 
drama  of  intrigue  could  the  calm-^ed  Alicia  Led- 
widge  be  playing? 

These  were  questions  which  I  found  it  impossible 
to  answer.  My  head  was  in  too  much  of  a  whirl 
even  to  thresh  over  them,  one  by  one,  imtil  some 
grain  of  truth  was  shaken  from  all  that  meaning- 
less chaff.  Then,  more  to  regain  a  grip  on  myself, 
and  get  the  thought  of  all  such  specters  out  of  my 
mind,  I  crossed  to  the  door  and  started  to  look  about 
for  the  bit  of  metal  which  I  remembered  had  iaUen 
there,  or  had  seemed  to  fall  there. 

I  found  it  lying  on  the  highly  waxed  parquet- 
flooring,  close  beside  one  of  the  rugs.  It  was  a 
key,  small  but  strong,  and  of  odd  shape,  and  it  was 
of  polished  nickel,  at  bri|^  at  the  metal  didet 
about  my  wrist 

That  common  brightness,  in  fact,  gave  me  an 
idea.  I  held  the  key  in  my  ceeth,  raised  my  hands 
and  twisted  them  about.  The  key,  I  found,  fitted 
the  hand-cuffs.  And  with  oat  tarn  of  it  I  had  then 
unlocked,  and  my  hands  were  once  more  free. 

The  next  moment  I  ran  to  the  door.  It  was  still 
unlocked,  though  the  key  fcmained  in  its  place.  BvA 
what  caught  my  attrition  was  a  bundle  of 
which  lay  on  the  iktor,  (km  to  tha  door. 


240     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


I  gave  a  gasp  of  astonishment,  of  relief,  as  I 
stared  down  at  them.  For  I  recognized  that  little 
pile  as  my  lost  clothing,  from  shoes  to  hat  and 
gloves.  That  £^ost,  whatever  her  motives,  was  at 
least  a  most  obliging  one. 

I  looked  up  and  down  the  hall,  wonderingly,  try- 
ing to  fathom  what  good  angel  could  be  ordering 
specters  about  on  my  behalf.  But  nothing  was  in 
sight  The  house  stood  as  gloomy  and  silent  as  a 
tomb.  And  the  mystery  of  it  all  still  hung  close 
about  me,  like  a  harbor  fog  on  a  November  night. 

I  caught  up  that  welcome  bundle,  however,  took 
the  key  from  the  outside  of  the  door,  and  retreated 
within  my  guard-room,  carefully  locking  myself  in. 
Then  I  peeled  off  Copperhead  Kate's  ill-fitting  ap- 
parel, kicked  off  the  over-sized  suede  shoes,  and 
thankfully  and  triumphantly  donned  my  own  humble 
duds.  Then  I  took  a  deep  breath,  a  breath  of  de- 
liverance, shot  through  with  gratitude,  for  whatever 
troubles  or  dangers  might  still  await  me  before  I 
once  more  made  my  way  back  to  the  world,  I  felt 
that  I  had  a  fresh  grip  on  life,  a  forlorn  rag  or  two 
of  dignity  which  that  frantic  nl^t  had  not  alto- 
gether torn  away  from  me. 

But  I  did  not  linger  to  luxuriate  in  this  feeling, 
since  I  was  all  the  time  being  swayed  by  a  much 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  241 

wmUPM'  oat>  1  wMwa  lO  |fK  vmj  non  nit 
homt^  and  fet  amtj  inm  it  for  food. 

So  I  cr^  over  to  tht  door,  took  Utt  kcj  fran  tin 
lock,  and  afeq^ped  ontiidt.  Tliti*  was  no  one  kt 

I  may  have  been  cxdted,  at  tliat  praepeet  of  c»> 
cape»  tmt  I  was  not  too  escdted  to  remember  tfaat 
it  would  be  better  not  to  be  reoosntsed  as  I  teft  that 
boose.  So  I  dipped  back  into  tiie  noBit  fomd 
Copperbcad  Kate's  heavy  veil,  knotted  it  about  my 
hat  and  fastened  it  there  by  a  eoople  of  hahffins. 

Then  I  crept  oat  timxig^  the  door  again,  rdodced 
it  and  pocketed  die  hey.  I  could  hear  niy  own 
heart  beating  as  I  moved  stowfy  forward,  step  by 
step,  toward  the  stair4iead  I  lifted  my  vefl  and 
stood  there  listening,  to  make  sure  that  the  coast 
was  still  dear,  for  on  this  occadon  I  prefened  to 
have  no  toternytkms,  either  ear^  or  tmearthly. 

As  I  stood  Ihere^  straining  my  ears,  a  faint  nmr- 
miir  of  voices  came  to  me.  This  somid  seemed  to 
come  from  bdiind  a  dosed  door,  somewhere  deeper 
in  the  hoasa.  It  shot^  have  proved  a  <&t»ting 
soond  to  me.  Bnt  imtead  of  hnrrying  my  steps,  for 
somere»oii,kialted&an.  I  crepci^otit  die  stair- 
head and  groped  my  way  along  the  wall,  listening 
from  t&ne  to  time  as  the  sounds  grew  clearer. 


ZiZ     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


TkM.  M  I  »»MmA  aiooff  tiM  fittidt  oi  ft  doitdi 
door.  I  raoUnd  An  tltt  tiQdiMr  was  ttddnc  ofawt  ki 
tto  iDooi  bsfoft  BM*  The  next  nxtmcnt  I  liod  toy 
mr  fftiMd  flitt  afifaiit  tlitt  pond,  and  I  knew  at 
ooea  tiHt  it  wat  old  Tlieobaki  Scr^  who  was 
■pwWnf.  Tlwra  wat  no  mistaUng  tfioie  MwoHi 

"Pot  if  thereat  ben  a  mwder  conmitlod  in  thii 
BOQi^  ■ooKDOCqr  mnR  nsve  oone  nr 

'^dl,  iHio  <Ud  kf  demanded  a  queruloiii  voice 
.lihkih  at  onoe  BMde  me  Akdc  of  Knock  Baitiett. 

*'Wkf,  don't  70a  ttndentand,"  retorted  the  <M 
lawyer.  knofCirivekr  teweruig  hit  Tokc.  '*Uiat  h  was 
tkisitreet-gnlfHiodklit?  Don't  yon  lee  tiiat  every 
fCMondde  evidence  pointt  to*ker  as  die  tii>S3ty 
party?" 

It  was  plainly  okl  Em  Bardelt  who  spdce  next 
That's  easy  enoufl^  to  say.  But  how  are  we 
going  to  hkck  tfiat  particidar  cmne  on  that  parttcu- 
kr  giri?  How  are  we  ever  going  to  frame  up  a 
case  thatH  hold  good?" 

The  case  is  aktady  complete,"  contended  ^ 
voice  of  the  ^attorney.  **We'Te  got  the  girl  hwe, 
wnere  we  wsr  aer.  wii«  Kougm  ncr  ncrc  »  our 
own  bosmess.  What  she  <Sdki  this  house  win  stand 
agiunst  her.  For  who  will  accept  the  story  that 


THE  woam  or  QmuGUB  m 


she'll  try  to  tell?  Who'll  swallow  the  explain^ 
of  how  she  first  gained  admission  here?" 

"Explanations  be  damned  V  piped  the  angry  \  -kiea 
of  old  Enoch  Bartlett  "We  don't  want  explana- 
tions! What  we  want  is  a  will,  sir,  a  will  duly 
signed  and  witnessed  by  CUriaia  Rhindaader  Birtr 
letti" 

"Of  course  you  do,"  acknowledged  the  other, 
•^ut  you  don't  also  want  ten  years  in  state's  prison, 
do  you?  If  you  do,  sir,  simply  continue  along  the 
path  you  have  been  following  1  For  thete'a  ft  mud- 
dle here  that's  got  to  be  cleared  up  before  any  mm 
in  this  room  can  feel  clear  to  leave  this  house  T 
"Fiddlesticks!"  ejaculated  Enoch  Bartlett. 
"But  who  got  us  into  that  nnaddk?"  ^^^"ihii 
his  brother  Ezra. 
"That  girl  did,  of  course!" 
"Then  that  girl's  got  to  pay  for  it!   She's  had 
her  fun,  by  gad,  and  now  she  can  face  the  music!" 

"And  we've  got  Locke,  haven't  we,  to  back  na 
up  in  anything  we  claim?"  demanded  the  other 
shrill-voiced  old  "-jH  "And  thn^a  yiimar  hnfi 
to  do  the  came!" 

That  talk  was  none  too  lucid  to  mt^  te|  Hktm 
were  a  few  features  about  it  that  kept  rof  wr^fatd 
to  the  door  paad.  For  IkMirM  lfiaiatdllil  ll 


244     THS  HCXJSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


was  me.  Little  Ve,  they  were  talking  about  And 
it  wasn't  exactly  the  sort  of  conversation  that  you 
make  soothing-sirup  out  of.  I  may  have  been  tired 
in  body,  but  I  rwake  to  the  finger-tips  as  I 
stood  there  in  th^  dai  «ness  overhearing  that  s  ar- 
cfaamber  discussion  a&  to  how  I  w  >  to  be  disposed 
of. 

"But  what  aK'ut  t.;;s  man  vV^ashbrirn ?"  I  h<  rd 
Enoch  Bartlett's  voice  inquire.  I  waited,  without 
bi«athing,  to  catch  the  answer  to  that  question. 

**Washbum?"  scoffed  the  oki  law>  f*r.  -'Why,  my 
personal  conviction  is  that  w  ashbum  i^^  the  nian 
who's  duping  us  all,  and  that  he'i  a  bij^ger  crook 
than  the  woman  herself  1" 

"It's  not  a  matter  of  conviction,  "  brokf*  in  Doctor 
Klinger's  heavily  contemptuous  v  ice.  *'-t's  a  mat- 
ter of  common  knowledge,  a  matter  of  fact !" 

"What  is?"  bit  out  Ezra  Bartlett. 

"That  this  man  Washbum  iS  n  thing  but  a  social 
highwayman  1  That  he  lives  by  his  witsV 

"Of  which  he  has  more,  apparentl)  than  a  num- 
ber of  people  in  this  immediate  neighborhood," 
piped  out  the  irate  Enoch  Bartlett. 

**But  which  of  those  two  women  \\  as  working 
with  W^ashbum?"  demanded  ttie  more  ^racticat- 
nindfed  of  the  two  old  fatolfaers. 


tmL  UOUSE  (  F  INTRIGUE  245 


niit  mnH  hiM^it  Urn  tD  ^  hooM 
— ^  bibf-l&oad  jatf  We're  fot  to  fit  bir  taken 
care  of ,  and  ft  has  get  t»  be  lor  Hitr  aimmmccd 
tiat  moBKMit  old  attora^  at  calnfy  ae  ttioafii  lie 
wai  taUdaf  of  dottif  awajr  wi^  a  houeii  fH,  ''And 
if  tliere's  acy  doubt  abo«t  tiJoaf  care  of  her  thai 
leajr,  well  twve  to  ti**  ^re  ^  Iwr  tlie  other  wayr 

'liokv-ao^! '  I  Ureit  bed  ^giM  diat  po&he^ 
hwrdwotx^  paa^  3m  ^  of  yedf  I  eoidd 
la^  «  Mitl9  wem  %ie  of  dl^  go  %  «d  down  my 
M^one  ThBB  itf?  thaiperaeediiaf  ^ aart»> 
oidi  t  m  Jii  3^  deenk  ihodi  ahoot 
doeehiiMdK^,  .a  itm  dartmcM,  I  canght  Ae  eow^ 
of  a        m  -.  iHnf  %»«; 

%  ifca    fe  aocMlenMd  io  tfw  darfoMie, 
Am  tane,       as  I  elood  flat  in  the  dieher  of  i 
heavy  6  >r>  m  I  OMdd  mOm  eat  a  vague  Soaae- 
iMag  I  ^  sbiriy  paet  am.  A  iiiat  mst&ig  fd 
teU  me       Aie  eonwtWng  wae  a  -rrrrmaii 
^  had  yopad  by  .me  wMiont  heceming  comdoBe 
M  m y  ^feaenee  then,  I  Idt  ears,  beawe  tiiere  had 
^^ecB  ta  her  steedy  ad«iaea>  AS  her  at* 

teatioi   ia  iMt,  wend  emand  on  weiring  her 

And  I  did  nqr  beet,  ae  X  foBowad  hei^  to  keq>  my 
nMBveoMala  e^oaSy  eBent. 


24C     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUS 


It  was  not  until  she  approached  the  yugtim  half- 
light  from  the  stair-well  that  I  could  even  venture 
a  guess  as  to  her  identity.  Then,  as  she  peered 
anxiously  down  this  well,  I  saw  that  it  was  Altda 
Ledwidge.  And  what  startled  me  most,  as  At  took 
her  flight  down  that  all  but  lightless  stairway,  was 
that  she  carried  a  black  dul>4»g  in  htr  hand. 

The  shock  of  this,  however,  was  submerged  in  a 
still  greater  shock,  as  a  little  wave  is  swamped  fay 
a  bigger  one.  The  situation,  I  realized,  was  not  ao 
simple  as  it  seemed.  For  as  that  stealthy  figure 
of  the  trained  nurse  crept  cautiously  down  the  stair* 
way  I  noticed  that  it  was  being  foUow«d  by  Miotiier 
figure,  equally  stealthy. 

Who  or  what  this  second  stalker  was  I  Goakl  not 
make  out  I  merely  surmised  that  it  must  be  a  mra, 
since  the  second  creeping  shadow  plainly  boBced 
heavier  and  higher  than  the  first  But  it  loUowed 
on  after  the  other,  stq>  by  9ttp,  with  a  tort  of  tim- 
ber>wolf  intchtness  that  sonfy  templed  iae  to 
scream  out  a  call  of  warning. 

Instead  of  doing  th&t  ateogether  imwtae,  if  nat^ 
nral,  thing,  however,  I  crept  on  to  tfie  •tair-tailiof 
and  followed  after  them.  Fnr  ttie  aeoood 
shadow,  i  aotked,  had  drawn  doier  to  tfie  &at 

It  mait  hm  been  at     esoKt  moneat  tfM  wooMB 


t;:£  house  of  intrigue  247 


reached  the  floor  below  that  the  man  following  her 
made  his  spring.  It  was  a  sudden  spring,  but  it  was 
almost  noiseless,  ^nd  equally  silent  seemed  the 
brief  struggle  that  took  place  there  in  the  darkness. 

I  could  hear  a  faint  gasp,  more  of  pain  than  of 
fear,  a  sound  of  quickened  breathing,  and  an  even 
fainter  sound  of  contending  bodies.  Then  came  a 
qtnet  thud,  a  thud  that  was  more  a  vibration  than 
a  sound,  and  the  louder  note  of  hurrying  steps  pass- 
ing from  muffling  rug  to  the  polished  hardwood 
floor. 

Then  still  again,  and  with  equal  abruptness,  the 
unexpected  happened.  Those  hurrying  steps  were 
not  half  way  across  the  wide  hall  before  the  entire 
place  flowered  into  sudden  light. 

At  the  same  moment  I  beheld  Wendy  Washburn 
with  the  forefinger  of  his  left  hand  pressed  against 
a  button-switch  in  the  wall.  In  his  right  hand,  I 
noticed,  he  held  a  heavy  walking-stick.  He  held  it 
obliquely  across  his  shoulder,  as  a  marching  soldier 
carries  a  rifle.  I  surmised,  from  his  attitude,  that  it 
was  poised  there,  in  position  for  striking.  But  I 
was  no  longer  watching  Wendy  Washburn  and  his 
walking-stick.  My  eye  had  traveled  on  to  the  man 
ia  the  checked  tweed  suit  with  the  black  dub-bog;  I 
coukl  aee  him  dtidiictfy,  m  tlie  ekw  Mi^ 


248     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


as  he  leaped  for  the  street  door.  I  knew,  even  be- 
fore I  saw  his  face,  that  it  was  Pinky  McQone. 

He  did  not  go  to  the  door.  He  knew,  apparently, 
that  it  was  too  late.  He  seemed  to  realize  that  he 
had  a  fight  to  face,  before  he  could  achieve  his  free- 
dom, for  he  dropped  the  club-bag  and  swung  about 
as  Wendy  Washburn  edged  in  between  him  and  his 
iron-grilled  avenue  of  escape. 

He  swung  about  without  hesitation  and  quite  with- 
out fear.  At  the  first  sight  of  my  Hero-Man,  in  fact, 
a  hunger  for  combat  seemed  to  seize  him.  It  was  as 
though  Pinky,  in  beholding  that  opponent  of  his, 
beheld  an  old  and  implacable  enemy.  And  he  went 
at  that  enemy  as  though  there  were  a  good  many 
ancient  scores  to  be  wiped  out. 

It  wasn't  a  long  fight,  but  it  was  a  bitter  one,  and 
at  the  very  beginning  of  it  the  walking-stick  went 
clattering  across  the  polished  floor,  so  that  it  soon 
became  a  contest  of  strength  against  strength. 

I  was  so  interested  in  that  fight  ihat  I  kept  creep- 
ing farther  and  farther  down  the  stairway,  a  step 
at  a  time,  with  my  eyes  staring  and  my  heart  in  my 
mouth.  And  there  was  no  division  of  sympathy  on 
my  part.  I  knew  exactly  how  I  wanted  that  fight 
to  go.  They  may  have  both  been  criminals,  those 
two,  but  they  were  as  far  apart  in  their  iiiak»^  it 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  249 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^BW    ^^^V     ^^^^^^^    ^^'^^^^^r  ^P^^^^^^W    l^^^^^F    ^^^^■•MWPw  hm^^bb 

it  witn'l  iStt  tmvnitf  shb  ^it  I  wmilcd  to  wfaL 

jsm  I  nonicm^  wna  a  SH9b  iBit  toit  tm&  ixvinf 
ier  man  was  doing  what  mott  hamny  men  ttuder 
tlie  cifcmnataiiect.  Hewaagettiiigdiebetteroltt; 
he  was,  m  fact,  ddlft^  and  ddibcrai^  apaning 
for  Jak  coup  d&  groee,  I  aaw  that  Wcn^  Waah- 
biim  waa  goiiig  to  get  hit,  aa  nqr  old  friend  Ifyrtle 
woidd  have  iatd.  I  aaw  that  he  waa  going  down  to 
defeat  ^iioniinioiia  woA  hievUaUe  delnit»  by  way 
of  die  kaodc-oot  fonle;  Aad  faebg  a  woawi,  I 
pffon^tfy  and  acttv^  interfeted  ia  what  acemed  to 
aw  tti  attogvihcr  oalalr  atrt^gi^  I  iBterfned  by 
tttehing  ^  waldng-atkfc  tfwt  lay  at  the  loot  of 
tte  ttaira,  poiatf*g  ^  above  Biy  head  as  I  laa  forward 
aad  briagiag  it  down  oa  Piaky  lieOoM^a  tlddc 
AsaML  just  above  his  big  pink  car. 
He  west  defwa  fike  a  bag  of  leathen. 
I  stood  ttariog  at  Uak  I  Hood*  wide-eyed,  loofc- 
mg  oowB  «  ms  swiowiiy  wiHuOieQ  screngtn,  wcmh 
dering  what  they'd  do  widi  tfya  aeeottd  ho^y  la  that 

Til  Weadly  WaAbora,  wia/d  beea  wiping  the 
tti."'   off  where  1^  ^p  wfts      got  Isdk 

«ioac^  breaft  to  eiy  oat  a  qoiet  "Themk  God," 

'HNrhat  lerr  I  asked  him  sharply,  afaaoet  aocaa- 


250     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTIUGUE 


mc^y,  for  ny  teeth  were  ddng  m  fox-trot  of  part 
panic  by  this  time.  Tor  killiiig  that  roan?" 
Wendy  snorted  aloud  as  he  caagiit  up  the  dtih 

"That  man's  not  dead,"  he  cafanty  announced. 
'3iit  wi  may  be,  if  Wre  not  out  of  this  home 
ptctty  soonf* 

I  f dt  a  little  tiirill,  a  wayward  Uttle  ^rill  of  some- 
thmg  that  was  both  pride  and  pleastire,  at  hearing 
him  bradket  me  witi^  himself  m  even  a  ciomwoii 
^ti^.  It  wasn't  the  mere  dioi^  of  esci^  as  I 
watched  him  unlatch  the  door,  that  l»ought  a  wave 
of  relief  throni^  an  my  tired  body.  It  was  mot« 
the  thoo^  of  havmg  some  one  else  beside  me,  of 
having  at  least  something  whidi  mi|^  he  construed 
as  a  oottlederaie,  of  knowitq^  that  I  was  no  longer 
acting  enthidy  alone  in  all  that  tan^^  mase. 

My  Hero-Man  opened  die  street  door  and  peered 
out  Then  he  motioned  for  me  to  f oiow  htm. 

Bat  I  oouhfai't  h^  glancing  bade  over  my  shoul- 
der, hi  ^  hope  of  bdiokhng  some  rcasswing  s^ 
of  life  from  ^e  inert  Pml^  McOone.'  Instead  of 
siemg  trwxy  Mccione,  nowever,  i  sasw  an  aiiogecoer 
S^tesi.  ^ure.  It  was  a  pK^-^EC  ^E^re  ^afi&g 
down  from  tfie  0ooba  9!t  tfie  head  of  tfie  wide  sImv> 
way.  It  sbocd  down  w^  a  leak  of  wisM  tswUt 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  251 


in  its  hollow  eyes,  and  as  I  peered  back  at  the  white 
face  which  seemed  to  be  floating  in  space  I  knew 
that  it  was  Bud  Griswokl's  lace  that  I  had  seen 

again. 

"Get  me  out  o'  here!"  I  gasped  to  Wendy  Wash- 
burn as  he  held  the  street  door  open  for  me. 

It  was  an  altogci  .er  tmnecessary  remark,  for  he 
was  already  doing  exactly  what  I  had  commanded 
him  to  do.  I  scarcely  noticed  him,  in  fact,  when  be 
stopped  short  and  stared  about  in  the  driving  rain. 

"My  car's  gone !"  I  heard  him  gasp. 

"What  difference  does  it  make?"  I  rather  stupidly 
asked,  for  my  mind,  just  at  that  moment,  wasn't  on 
automobiles. 

"It  means  that  well  have  to  take  a  taxicab,"  he 
said  with  a  short  laugh,  as  he  linked  his  free  arm  in 
mine  and  we  started  westward  over  the  wet  side- 
walk, with  heads  down,  against  the  driving  lain. 
But  I  kept  looking  back  to  make  sure  that  a  ghostly 
face  wasn't  floating  in  the  air  just  over  left 
sboulderf 


CBUFfER  FOURTEEN 


I NEVER  could  remember  much  about  that  ride  of 
mine  with  Wendy  Washburn  through  the  rain.  I 
don't  know  just  where  we  were  when  he  hailed  a 
passing  taxicab,  and  I  don't  know  just  where  that 
taxicab  took  us. 

But  I  do  remember  that  the  damp  upholstery  of 
the  taxi  was  very  smelly,  and  that  the  door-windows 
rattled,  and  that  the  wheel  chains  kept  slapping 
against  the  fenders  with  a  sort  of  tick-tock  rhythm 
that  made  my  eyelids  droop.  I  also  seem  to  remem- 
ber Wendy  Washburn  passed  the  driver  a  twenty- 
dollar  bill,  if  I'm  not  mistaken,  which  the  man  in 
the  wet  waterproof  coolly  and  casually  accepted. 

I  think  we  must  have  had  the  city  pretty  much  to 
ourselves  during  the  midnight  drive  through  one 
deserted  street  after  another,  for,  by  the  way  we 
skidded  about  comers  and  pounded  over  car-tracks, 
I  knew  we  were  traveling  a  little  faster  than  the 
law  allows.  But  my  bag  of  sensation  had  been 
shaken  out.  I  no  longer  reacted  to  what  was  taking 
l^boe  around  me.  I  don't  think  an  eii^teen-inch  gna 

252 


mm  wsmm  or  omtisui  asi 

could  have  startled  me.  Yet  I  remember  my  Hero- 
Man  kx>king  back  over  his  Moulder  and  then  calling 
out  for  our  driver  to  go  faster.  And  I  rather  drows- 
ily asked  him  why  we  were  careening  around  the 
city  that  way,  like  a  cat  having  a  fit  in  a  flat-4citchen. 

"Because  we're  being  fdlowed!"  was  Wendy 
Washburn's  reply;  but  even  that  rtatwnait  didn't 
altogether  waken  my  interest. 

"But  who's  following  us?"  I  sleepily  inquired,  as 
I  tried  to  edge  down  into  a  mort  coaikfftefaki  conwr 
of  the  damp  uj^lstery. 

"I  don't  know,  for  sure,*'  said  the  man  beside  me, 
'Imt  I  do  know  for  sure  that  k  will  be  better  lor 
them  not  to  get  op  with  us  f' 

"What'll  they  do  to  us?"  I  weakly  inquired,  as  we 
skidded  against  the  carb-atam  with  m  jolt  aad  wmt 
racing  oa  again. 

"Don't  talk->you're  too  tired!"  said  the  man  at 
my  aide.  I  think  he  said  it  crossly.  But  I  dids't 
erm  worry  about  it  For  the  next  ndmite  he  was 
speaking  much  louder,  and  wnrii  mort  CIMI^^  to 
the  driver  in  the  froot  seat 

"They're  gaining  on  ml"  he  called  out,  and  I 
could  feel  the  cab  re^KMid  to  the  driver's  dab  at 
the  throttie-lever.   I  oouU  M  his  old  rattle-trap 


2S4     THE  HOUSE  OF  HITIUGUB 


wet  pavement.  Then  we  took  a  turn,  with  two 
wheels  up  on  the  sidewalk,  and  doubled  for  what 
must  have  been  Central  Park.  A  policeman  in  a 
shiny  waterproof  shouted  at  us  as  we  swept  down 
across  the  Plaza,  I  know ;  but  we  never  stopped. 

"Keep  it  up,"  I  could  hear  Wendy  Washburn  call 
out  as  we  turned  westward  again. 

"I  can't  keep  it  up !"  the  driver  called  back.  "My 
gas  is  running  low  1" 

"Then  slow  down  enough  at  Symond's  to  let  us 
drop  off,"  my  Hero-Man  called  back,  after  a  mo- 
ment's thought,  "but  don't  stopl" 

He  was  staring  back,  apparently  to  make  sure  the 
lights  of  the  car  behind  us  hadn't  yet  turned  the 
comer,  when  we  shuddered  down  to  almost  a  stand- 
still. We  were,  I  think,  somewhere  in  the  west 
Fifties,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh  Avenue.  The 
man  beside  me  was  on  his  feet,  with  the  door  ogta, 
before  I  woke  up  to  what  he  intended  doing. 

"Quick,"  he  called,  as  he  caught  me  by  the  arm. 

I  stumbled  out  after  him.  In  his  right  hand,  I 
noticed  he  still  carried  the  Mack  dub-bag.  With  hia 
left  hand  he  swung  me  across  tlie  wet  skiewalk  sjod 
pushed  uy^  in  through  a  door. 

I  tto(^  Uinking  about  yAat  most  have  been  a 
poli&e  garage,  vritti  roiM  of  cm^  aad  btedc  kott^tt" 


THB  HOUSB  <^  INT1I0UB  29S 


lars,  and  oil-staint  on  the  floor.  Then  I  discovered 
that  I  was  alone.  It  -crorrkd  ma  a  Itttit  to  find  that 
Wendy  Waahbnni  wm  no  longer  at  my  tide.  But 
the  next  momoit  I  saw  hun  and  another  man  rntt 
to  oat  of  the  cart  itendtng  there  Two  huge  doors, 
at  Hm  aame  time,  swung  open  at  the  far  end  of  the 
garafe,  whkfa  most  have  nached  through  to  dw 


I  fcmember  nqr  Hero-Man  helping  me  up  into  Uiia 
CKf,  which  waa  a  foadstir  with  vary  high-badoid 
seats.  The  next  iiioiMBt  he  was  tlMve  beiidt  OM^ 
with  the  dub-bag  between  his  knees,  and  we  wtm 
slithering  over  the  oily  floor  and  acron  the  wet  side- 
walk with  a  purpoetlMl  tkoaap  of  tm  that  pteinly 
announced  we  were  still  ool  to  flqr  4adn  and 
diakes  with  Ikt  speed  bws. 

I  loivid  the  well-padded  seat  of  this  second  ear 
much  more  to  my  Ifldi^f.  I  seemed  to  fit  iirto  it  aa 
though  I  had  beta  made  lor  it,  or  it  made  lor  AMI 

I  don't  know  how  long  I'd  sat  tiiere,  tvyhif  to 
hold  ny  hetd  when  I  heaid  Wendy  WaMm 
say :  1  thhik  waNia  l^«n  tiiOB  lha  i%r 

I  don't  tfunk  I  wat  mify  mtrnk  tetanHed.  I 

tifUT.  A^mI  II.         f  ^M^A     *     ■       «    *-   -  - 

a  tM^  fvt  of  #il  |oBMf,  tfmgh  I 
noned  a  hai^  neBliictlBa    Iwviiif  Aeiht  MM 


m   THE  BOUSE  OF  wmom 


us,  of  mounting  hills  and  going  down  them  againb  of 
crossing  bridges  and  rocking  oirer  car-rails. 

I  woke  up  with  a  start  as  we  went  speeding 
through  a  sleepy-looking  little  town.  I  woke  up  to 
the  repeated  crack  of  a  revolver,  for,  as  I  found 
out  later,  we'd  nearly  run  down  a  rube  constable 
who  tried  to  stop  us  by  shooting  at  our  tires.  I 
remember  wakening  and  staring  at  the  man 
me,  bent  so  intently  over  the  wheel.  For  a  nonKat 
I  thought  it  was  Bud  Griswold.  Then  my  Htt^ 
.  Man  himself  called  out  for  me  to  sit  low,  in  cait 
one  of  that  village  policeman's  pd-thota  f*«^^H  ae> 
cidentally  come  my  way. 

I  realized,  as  I  sat  there  blinking  up  at  him,  that 
I'd  at  least  been  under  fire,  that  I'd  heard  bullets 
whistle  by  my  ears  and  that  tbenaftcr  I  could  losk 
upon  myself  as  a  veteran. 

The  whole  situation,  in  fact,  struck  me  aa  iMfa^ 
so  absurd  that  I  suddenly  began  to  laugh. 

The  man  at  my  side  was  plainly  (tiMaihsd  at  that 
laugh.  As  we  were  well  out  in  ths  opSB  eoontrj 
again,  he  slowed  down  the  car  mi  pnt  vm  a  ^prfgfc 
side-glance  over  his  shoukler. 

''So  you're  one  toof'  I  said,  as  I  sat  alaf^| 
tiirough  the  nuiHlrofa  m'Fllff<f  Uki  wanw  4&tm 
the  wincMMM. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  257 


^yj^^^^  IHkl^K  Sft  I  ^KH$^^  I  M^plttt^Kp  9tt^t^l8ld|j^  ^flVHt^^b^^^ 

to  uw  the  ugly  word  wIMi  M  riMB  to  my  Upt, 
**I*tB  wotmf*  ht  tncm9d,  at  ht  iftdtd  ttp  agiki. 

Z<Ni  fV  K  NMR  s  lOOa  orifVy   1  KHBIBN*  JrOr 

*  *  *•  — *  *■  ^I^^LA       T#  m^mA 

«W  I^HD  KaW^BHu  SAIU  ^SXC  UIBL  B^K^K*     XM  ^^h^k 

^^^^^^B    WWW  ^^^^V^V  ^^WW^W    W^B^^W    ^^^W^W  ^^^^^F  W^^^^^^V 

tttts  of  tfN  rotd  had  d»wid  «•  tht  blot  wHin  of 

Xriik^  ^D^rtsv^o  X  don't  ftilfilt  Fd  lHiff9  %^hiib0d  9ffBt 
'Yon  Ih^fo to  Ik  a  good  Mpmp,  killdi  I 

But  cvtn  llMt  open 

<|t<^*i    ittaiag  V# 

wiQPV  fBoarx  uiwiHO  me.  ai 
pdflt  atvar  tastes  good,  at  mom  wiia  qmk  kaa  ob> 
Mnrad,  tt'a  equally  traatiiBt 
diode  k  one  ni^^t  isn't  going  to  aooia  Vkm  m 


of  Us  CfB 


1MB  we  scw  ^pccoeQ  aiong  tnai 
And  I  began  to  he  languidly  intcnstsd  fai  ow  aqMllty 


"Bat  isi«t  do  w  happen  to  be  going?"  I  nSdly 
hiqidfed.  I  eooid  sae  tha  stats  sUning  through  a 
nic  n  oia  cioMBit  it  was  no  ioa|^  raitittig. 

Wendy  Wasfabom  turned  his  head  and  looked  at 


•*Watdi  your  road,"  I  reminded  him.  The  old 
half-qniasical  smile  was  onoe  more  on  his  laoe  as 


m     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Im  riilMtd  ^  ctf  Mid  fliM  •  tdiffipii  fob  If  • 

•mm  mdd  jFOtt  fihe  to  for  Itt  mM. 
I  Imd  Ml  in  tiw  wtS'^liMilmd  Mit 
Td  immuthm^  m  guiin  timnir,*  I 

 A^^mI  " 

Ht  WM  ffltflt  lor  ft  few  mfanslM.  I  emdtf  f  my 
•  iytiUionet  am  beginning  to  draopb 

Tib  going  to  take  you  nAmn  yott  can  luiiv*  a 
■Dod  deeD."  In  teal^  toU  flN^ 

^BQ^MB  ^^n^VBPy  ^^^^^^^^  ^^^^w 

nrkaain,'' I  Mid.  *«AadtaiirfMtr 

Thai  fwirion  wt  can't  aaaww  tnta  toawr 

I  ONdd  aaa  d»  HtidMtt  4M«  in  tiM  diar  Hw- 
liijrit  I«NddMa«oodadliiliibaiid1iwi««wlIw 
ofaatonaw^  Wa  t«Md  Mddanljr  to  tlw  lall» 
went  down  a  wiwfiBg  kiMi  and  awq^  in  dbaa  ta 
two  gate-pillan  that  iiwiid  to  faa  covered  wWi  hry. 

At  wt  ^  io  tlw  nan  at  U7  aide  awitdMd  oat  Ua 
head-fi^its.  Then,  ate  a  nmnat*!  deCheraUuni 
he  slmt  diem  an  off  .  He  brought  the  car  to  a  ito|s 
aleppad  oat  and  eaemed  to  be  fonbling  with  the 


TMB 


K  OF  INTRIGUE 


259 


of  a  fdr  of  mnift 


ht  M  tiN  put  finm  OpMMi  WM  l0OHl«  tf»  ov 

•bivir  is  9Mt  Umb.  Til  ho  agria  mpud  oK, 

CNMV  JWWi  iOCIM  IMMii  MM  CMHM  MO  OM 
•Wt  MdtMt. 

Wo  vwt  aloof  wqr  iloiplsr,  tUt  tiM»  nd  Iw 
fcipt fwim liMiiO Owoi^Hn JiHbiii,  Womo 
aO  faaMT  erWHUMT  OMT  O  iMfii  iQotfwnr.  I  Mite^ 

bm  msLAa$  mtt  fwgr  lo  pm  nai  fniiiii  oa<  Attk 
OMTllM  doMot  fm  of  a  bmk  I  ooiU 

Mm  tliwi  no  wwf  ia  aaiwr  ^  tfiaclni 
of  a  laiii  piHliiai  our  wigr  la  pait  Kinaing 
Mtejr  Hart  MMi  *o  «  of  «•  «v.  Tim 
1V0  mat  to  a  nopw 

"WWf*  am  fOB  tiriri^g  istf"  I  liM,  at  I  tut 
IIP  ani  trM  to  mn  01*  Iteo^^  «M  kafy  Am 
tiHit  MdM^  MiM  aa  ia  tte  dhtwm,  tarngj 
tfttliOMlVimM  imaMlKoaltlte  vacuegra:/  pilt 
olahooM.  It  mmd  vtry  b%.  It  alto  maHtf  to 
iammarpbtH. 

"WWf*  aio  yen  takfa«  mr  I  repeatad  ia  mf 
Bbsflk^1^o4Saaa^&il^3bdt^riEodi2  tooiii  aa 
wam^  woHMPii  aitppaB  aawa  oas  9m  wm  cv* 

«^  Ikoaif  Hatitylha  Simr  reapoodad  aqr 


260     THE  HOUSE  OF  WTRIGUB 

HcRHMtti,wi^te<aSiitalM«BdoU]iii#i.  Aad 

IM  stood  wdting  10  kdp  nt  aligirt. 

It  my  turn  to  iMili  I  tlW*  <l«*wn  bcaidt 
UoL  For  «rft  •  l»w*wrfwr  on  iB  MMihat- 
taa  Ishnd,  I  snppoM,  who  down't  know  the  Big 
Koine  up  the  Riw  to  be  Ae  othMT  «»•  ior  S«f 

Sing  itsdf. 

Ithon^  I WM  heeded  for  lemithitigiaDe^r 
Itoldhhii.-  He  kaned  doee,  and  peered  hito  niy 
face,  ae  though  my  i^ppanqr  father  pnniid  hha. 
Then  he  led  UK  eaotkmi^  ont  Oiroiii^  tani^ 
ol  w«t  ehndtoy.  itowiaf  and  paarhif  ahead  every 
fewetein.  We  iww  faito  data  to  Aat  iragnt  and 
ahedowy  howe  by  thii  thne. 

•This  piaoe  it  as  envty  at  a  dMrdw"  he  ea^Wnad 

to  me  hi  a  lowered  lofce,  "and  I  want  yon  to  wait 
hvcmitiilopenttnp.'' 
••^Mrr  I  dWMUided. 

He  showed  me  a  her  of  mend.  He  suplsinsd  ^ 
it  was  the  handle  that  ittad  h«o  llw  laGhit  «f  n 

motor-jack. 

ini  jimmy  one  of  the  windows  open,**  he  criniy 
my.— Then  raeontt  back  for  yeor 

The  next  moment  he  was  fona.  I  was  too  tfaed 
to  think  what  to  do,  or  what  I  ongM  to  da  loMnfy 
stood  there,  waiting,  in  no  way  amaaed  tet  asy 


THE  momuL  ot  orrmsis  m 


oii64kBe  Hero-Man  was  at  that  moment  engaged 
in  jteBBjing  his  way  into  an  empty  summer-home. 
And  it  seemed  to  take  him  a  very  long  time.  Bttd,I 
remembered,  wodd  hai«  done  the  job  in  one  q^tartir 

of  what  it  took  my  new  confederate. 

**Camt  oar  he  whispered,  as  he  led  me  toward 
the  aida  of  the  house.  A  door  stood  open,  but  no 
HgMi  ifaowwl  btlM  it  I  wasn't  thinking  much 
about  figtea,  however.  I  was  thisldng  more  about 
abed, abif  ^widaM  with  an  Ostermoor  and  a  duck- 
feather  piflow  or  two,  and  ten  k»g  hoars  far  frow 

the  niadiiiig  crowd. 

"Wlnia  hmm  h  Hda,  aoyw^rr  I  languidly  in- 
yiwd,  as  I  MOfrtid  tfie  wide  steps  of  Milton  brida 
yitfi  tidibed  planta  on  either  side  of  them. 

<*WiMt  dUfaww  does  it  make?"  asked  Wendy 
WmIAm  at  1m  wailed  to  dose  the  door  behind  ma. 
The  nest  BMBWl  Itt  had  twitched  on  the  lights. 

*ft  toekt  Or  a  very  nkse  am"  I  tdwittad,  aa  I 
BttLfvddbMlM  It  ^dn't  interest  na  andi  more, 
tfMi^  ten  lha  feyir  of  a  hotel  intereaH  ftfoad- 
weaiy  ttoepar  m  tfM  papa  vine  circuits. 

1  pfidt  nftdf  OB  baiaf  a  food  picker."  said  my 
gidda.  I  aotod  iMt  hi  had  cu^ill^  kaM  tht 
BnttfaB^^aoli&tarbaM. 


2St     THE  HOUSB  Off  IWtBMSm 


•*Notabitr'  I  told  him. 

**Would  you  fed  safer  with  this?"  he  next 
inquired.  I  noticed  that  be  was  holding  out  a  pearlr 

handled  Colt  revolver. 

"What  ani  I  to  do  with  it?"  I  asked. 

"Keep  it  under  you  pillow,"  he  explained.  That 
ptcgnant  word  of  "pillow"  caught  and  held  my  at- 
tcotiQiL  The  nan  who  had  been  so  iotenay  atu^- 
hig  my  face  seemed  to  realize  this. 

**Thu^*  a  cream  and  gold  room  at  the  head  of 
the  stairway— the  first  door  at  the  right  there !" 

He  ventnrad  this  announcement  with  a  certain 
r9gm  eaasmiBt  pfakb  mMte  me  mih  m  qpfte  of 
nqrsdf. 

•Thank  you.  Prince  Charming  f* 

"I  think  you'll  find  everything  there— and  quite 
csmioftrtle,"  he  went  «w  stitt  » lUae  giiliinMHil 

mgr  sisi^  slwe. 

seem  to  know  this  house,"  I  told  him. 

"I  at  least  know  that  it  is  empty,"  he  retorted. 

*nroii'm  ftttte  sure  of  thai?"  I  aiM,  aiM#  • 
flq^or  two  tip  the  sUirwif. 

<Ttoeitiver  he  replied. 

•nrhen  me  for  the  hay!"  I  fllppeirtly  smKHinced. 

^^Ptt  ^wiii^  ifcMNi  ^Biifl  j^^^  ^^^^^jjiH  ^ndi^Bift^  Hip 


rm  m&0m  m  mmmsm  m 


I  crept  up  to  the  door  that  stood  first  on  the  right, 
with  a  sigh  of  weariness  as  I  readied  the  top  of  the 
gttim.  Then  I  quietly  opened  the  door,  stibdued  in 
■OOM  way  by  the  sheer  silence  of  that  empty  house. 
I  wtt  iidiag  abcMt  wall  for  a  li|^t-switch  when 
aoroething  arrested  my  attwilion  I  atood  than  f or 
%  it^  miiwitf,  listening. 

Then,  scarcely  wiOioat  breathing,  I  crept  aoise- 
Utify  toward  the  center  of  the  room,  irfiere  a  wide 
cnwiMid  gold  bed  stood  scarcely  discernible  in  tlw 
half-ti^t  I  stood  studying  that  bad  for  some  tioK. 
;TImii  I  backed  as  noiselessly  away,  and  onl  oi  Itm 
foon.  softly  rlnriif  tiie  door  behind  me. 

My  Ham-lfHi  was  still  standing  at  the  foot  ^ 
tfiiMiNbiliMallilBdeof  possledexpectMHir*  I 
Hint  *»«^  aad  •H^tfttlly  4«Mi  t0  him. 
^^Wiiili  kf*  HiriHdi  In  a  nervous  whisper. 
ilM  ««r  <iiMr  im  in  tWa  hawt  1^ 
hpri 


m   THE  HoasB  OF  nmacm 


*Then  suppoting  I  take  one  on  this  left  tide*"  I 
tofgested. 

"Yes,  the  delft  blue  foon."  he  agreed.  "Thaft 
as  good  as  any." 

"Blue's  more  vay  color/'  I  said,  as  I  started  vi§  the 
stairs  again. 

I  don't  know  whether  he  believed  me  or  not  I 
didn't  even  care.  I  was  too  tired  to  worry  over  it 
But  weary  as  I  was,  I  was  at  least  wide  enough 
awake  to  know  that  I  stood  face  to  faoe  with  »  new 
nijrstery. 

For  in  the  bed  of  the  cream  and  gold  room  of  that 
empty  houst  there  wat  m^fmm$  wmmm  igimg,  ftui 
asleep. 

And  rememberiig  that,  I  not  only  locked  my 
door  and  wheeled  a  dressing-table  across  it  but  I 
also  kid  out  Wendy  Washburn's  pearl-handled  Colt, 
on  iHiat  looked  like  a  Louis-Seize  vitrine  of  hand- 
painted  ghns  s(  iniiwg  dose  beside  the  bed.  For  I 
imsadai  ta  skep^  even  though  I  had  to  shoot  • 
4BMMiMiaiia  iMBalaa  to  do  itl 


CHAPTER  FIFTEEN 


I 


WAS  nmr  » 1^  ilMper,  for  wkm  I 
ted  I  Midoiii  cBftitd  «gr  vofffitt  tet  «Ml  M 
Bat  oim  nigr  tytt  wm  opow  I  nw  aKMilt  iM 
awaktiaaiMoad. 

Jait  how  lite  I  dipt 
ddftbtoi I kad no iMW of lidgiQf.  BatllnMMr 
tiM  I  liad  akft  ivifi,  lor  I  wdMMd  to  iMi  ffct  MR 

fo  tte  iMacvm  «id  n  itafd  aiMa  «l 
teii«  in  tiijr  Iwddij  TOOBf  Mr.  So  I  Iqr  tfMt 
iort 


Ttet  ffOQBw  X  Ibww,       a  womatft 


fey  dM  telte  wd  iMJwdn  y»g  toad  of  polt 
iwte  oBtha  Ji  aiiliii  lalli,  ty  i 
tex  and  dM  cvfiial  dodt  ki  Ibi  aa 

tibe  ilqHBiorad  Aa»<MMl  fMl  to  Si* 

ItwaadlaiOft  of  AMD  any  girl 
Ba  ki  ted  and  atndy.  Bnt  I  ted 


206     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


aatt  which  had  ben  ftthered  for  tmm  other  and 
■onie  mudi  Indcier  woman.  I  was  only  an  intruder 
Hmt,  a  ttRoper  iHioae  kingdom  of  grandeur  might 
tarn  tofy4un>j>  at  the  first  toodi  of  a  baU  or  tfM 
unamiounoed  opening  of  a  door. 

So  I  tumbled  out  of  bed  and  trotted  to  the  double 
wiodow  throagh  wlikli  the  aon  was  shiniaf  .  No- 
whcre  about  the  many-acred  garden  that  slopad 
down  to  the  gUntiof  vid  spafk&if  waters  of  Htm 
Hudson  could  I  see  any  sign  of  fife.  But  this  hi  no 
way  ^sturbed  me.  It  left  om^  in  fact,  so  liglit  of 
heart  that  I  would  hare  begun  to  whistle— osdy  I 
Suddenly  remembered  about  Buyateftaiii  woona 
Sleeping  n  tna  cfaan  sM  fOH  fooni  aerois  on  mh 
from  me. 

•na  mOMgaff  oi  mac  mysnnoiis  woman  Dtgn  to 
woriy  aaa>  »  wwnaa  bw  so  miiGB  ibbk  i  wotUBf 
removed  the  dressfaif  taWt,  wdockad  Urn  door,  and 

ftfa^te^^A         fa^tft  ^kft  fcttfiwnv     T  ^^wmI  ^feA#w  12^^^^^ 

^^^^^^^^^^w  ^P^^^P   #O^W^ff   WW  J^^B^^O^^MBI^Wa       ^a   fl^Vn^^^Vv   wS^^H^w  HWmB^^^ 

iig>  Birt  not  a  iOBBd  ckbs  to  an*  Thw  I  cnfl 
OB  to  tfM  door  aeroia  tiidlMi^  iiiMsf  tfai^  atti 

■UBBht  CIDBoBQ  ^DSE  CIOOb  a 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ■F^^^^^HT^W      ^^^^^r  V  V 

I  opanad  it  jnst  m  indi  or  tiroi  BbI  tfMt  ma 
wwwi^i  cBrtaiiia  kad  bam  dfawB»  Md  dit 
roQBs  ^vaa  atfS  i^Rsoat  i&  dMiUflssM^  Bat  l^sam  dMs 
bad  I  codd  hear  the  diip  mi  ngakr  briaHilwg  ^  > 


m  HOUSE  OP  atntusm  w 


•leeper.  Ski  nw  Hitt  tlMl%  aiiA  nm  dMd  to 


I  Mved  at  the  bed,  but  all  I  could  make  out  was 
»  tMiAM  mast  of  the  woman's  hair,  aad  tht 
\  eonfeonr  of  her  body  under  the  billowy  coun- 
And  I  had  a»4esife  to  disturb  that  child- 
Mm  attd  fladd  sleeper.  On  the  oter  hand.  I  did 
■et  cart  to  think  of  her  disturbing  me.  So  I  reached 
fai,  aoiwisisly  lifted  out  the  key,  and  quietly  ck)oed 
titt  door.  Tin,  ha»k«  kxked  it  from  the  outside^ 
I  iMppad  into  the  mm  af       Mwa  aad  fiBBiiiid 

tiMt  I  fill  aMre  at  my  ease,  even  tha«i|i  I 
:  thatiwight  that  I  wai  mm 

at  faoMM^  iNNiavMV  not  oiri^  toia'  txplme  the  ivorj^ 
w^Ai  ^ha  aanlhHi  tsl^  a^  IibSbb 
OK  wKf  saaiBt  aac  lo  HDsanB 

K  what  sight  tam  api  «l  «|P 
I  in  tfail  Inaia  (rf  iihMi* 
Hair  that  F4  hatf  Aaa  to  iriak  tfri^p  aaar,  i»- 
I  Ml  1  fMl  dM«  Ska  MMMka  la  *i 
aftfNikiiahM  t  naa  imii  iiiiMi  to 


m     THE  HOUSE  est  BiTIUCKIB 


aoM  about,  but  then  was  no  telling  when  a  human 
frusly  might  appear  and  demand  just  who  had 
been  interfering  with  his  household  furniture.  And 
likt  Golden-Locks,  I  knew  I'd  thai  have  to 
from  a  window  and  naki  for  the  tall  timber. 

It  was  as  I  OHM  to  a  standstill,  half-way  down 
the  wida  Hakrway,  that  the  first  betrayii^  ol 
life  came  to  me  from  bakm.  It  may  hsvi  htm  m 
diaturbing  sign,  but  it  was  at  least  an  appetiaii^  om, 
For  I  distinctly  caught  the  «Mtt  of  coakkv  hmm 
And  anxad  w^  it,  in  •  lort  of  tj>im>liuny  of  ptrw 

fee. 

If  it  waaatn^  H  wMiillnrtftiMiiiilii«N^ 
For  whatever  I  hsvt  tagmlkd,  or  htm 
ten  afraid  of,  I  could  M  MMinriil  llg  nklgM 
<^  ooCaa  and  Imom  than  a  aowo  en  liMp 
sway  from  wall  toaited  chaaaa.  it  draw  na  l&t  a 
magnet  doim  duou(^  dttt  hooM  of  iflewea.  And 
balota  I  knew  k  ra  alMUii  imo  ft  aett  of  iMib' 
iaal-RMai  where  the  ana  wta  iliiiiiin  fai  Ihmiuli  • 
deofaia  pair  of  Fkaadi  windowa  and  ft  taUa  widi  • 
•now-white  doth  waa  kOd  lor  twfti  It  looked  a^ 
nea&MF  anona^  haft  faala^  ^  n  tuetaar  I  faHnd  m. 
ilMci  ol  vapar  ywppad^ypuit  tf»  wnpfknuK 
Oft  Ikia  aheat  w«a  vfillHi: 


THE  HOUSE  OP  IMTSIGUB  M 


'Everything  looks  safe  but  keq>  mider 
I  can  get  back.  I've  pot  a  tHMOngr  ovir  tht  coffM 
pot  to  keep  it  hot" 


ci^P  ^ik^k  t^^ljj^hit  lls^Bi^tv  I  Hit  ^Sio^RFift  iit  flit  ^^Mki^ 

oi         Mil  tM^w4cMr  Bm|  H 

"^SLii  wwt  Hit  ■■■■iiMiii  AirfMl 

«Udi      mW  qirfit  vtfM  to  tfM  l0wlib 
ft|lMlir«f ktmi«ii«lpL  TImbI 
Uflid  At         jSI  iHMiiii^  Mid         M  4it 


lor  Hii  toMk  Bi 

wlMft  a  mkMhi  MMi  pn  Ml  «iA  to  iS 
ft  itot  tiM  fM  Mi  •!  a  M,  I 


270     THE  KOUSE  OF  immSM 


•Irifib  md  hmm  tel  Ikt  Mmr  llat  M  wm 

tiMrtodl, is irfMl Mad toMVItt Altaic  I«l 
At  tMMBliiiMlMirf.  TIm  I  dnimd  tfw  Wl> 

M  it  iHfpMi  wMi  llH  wiii  Ilirihni4  cwM^ 
y>t  At  bttttf  frf  imrt  abM  Int.  i  fit  At  fwlvtf 

*^BMb^  iMt  At  iMtraMML 

^^80  CVl^  ^(MW  nft  vin^l^?'^  flfllHillll''ill  flHHlPi^ 

volet.  llMwttft  iMiBlirfliif  tfcoHi  Aitvvlnb 
tait  I      MiAlt  t0  |Aot  At  tpAkti* 

At  wbib 

I  ^iftttt  IbMW  wtet  tt  MQTt  10  I  VtirtHlt4  ti  iMI 
fMMttIt 

*3at  wlgr  MiPl      adi  at  ttfllirr  I  ipU»» 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  271 


to  3fotf  tUt,"  m  tf» 
wire. 

It  nte  neie  mm  tUt 
thought  of  thit  paftieiiw 
tieokr  hooN  of  refufe.  Wm,  tl 
moment  daring  my  tali  it  Ike 
Cchk  hitoaitioa  of  tlM«  ^poito  iMi  loM 
for  me.  I  at  lut  knew  aqr  mm*  U  m»  Wrfy 
McOone  himiclf  who  WM  tildaf  o««r  the  win. 

"Litten/'iMidtoWnwilhMMMMrtHk  'Ik 
won't  be  safe  for  yott  toeone  Ml  kmf 

«I  know  it  woirtr  WM  PW« 
"^ut  all  the  powtfi  of 
away  from  your 

Tm  not  thhddng  of  Urn  fBimm  ^i  hmmC  I 
tried  to  teU  him,  as  I  ymitand  ft  aaeoai  wild  gnaM. 
I'm  thinking  of  the  naa  wiMfs  ttyfaig  to  keep  m 

"Do  you  know  what  I'm  gohag  to  do  wkl»  I  AMI 
that  man?"  demanded  tiM  tokt  ovtr  Iht  win. 
"Whatr  I  asked. 

Tm  going  to  kUl  Mmr  WM  tfw  ftitofiiHr  dfe- 
twhing  reply  that  came  in  to  ma. 

I  sat  there  staring  so  bUmldy  ahead  of  ne  tkil  H 
was  tome  tkne  before  I  became  actually  aware  of  tkt 


MCROCOPV  RESOIUTION  TEST  CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


272     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


fact  that  Wendy  Washburn  was  standing  at  the 
open  door,  staring  in  at  me.  How  much  he  had 
heard  I  didn't  know,  and  couldn't  tell.  There  was 
a  smile  about  his  lips,  but  his  forehead  wore  a  little 
wrinkle  of  troubled  thought.  I  knew  by  his  face 
that  the  eagle  of  curiosity  was  clawing  at  his  vitals, 
that  he  was  dying  to  know  what  had  been  said  over 
that  wire.  But  he  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to 
ask  me,  if  I  was  too  much  of  a  cynic  to  trust  him. 
So  his  face  was  blank  again  as  I  coolly  hung  up  the 
receiver  and  rose  from  my  chair. 

He  stood  waiting  for  me  at  the  door.  I  didn't 
speak  to  him,  at  first,  for  I  was  afraid  the  sound  of 
our  voices  would  carry  only  too  clearly  up  that  wide 
stairway.  And  there  was  a  sleeper  above,  I  remen> 
bered,  that  it  would  be  best  not  to  waken. 

But  I  found  it  hard  to  keep  back  a  chuckle.  For 
on  his  arm  Wendy  Washburn  carried  what  was 
plainly  a  package  of  breakfast  rolls,  a  bottle  of 
cream,  and  a  print  of  butter.  In  his  hand  he  held 
a  huge  bunch  of  violets.  Wendy,  it  was  plain  to 
see,  had  been  making  hay  while  the  sun  shone. 

**You've  made  quite  a  haul  of  it  this  morning!"  I 
casually  remarked,  with  a  nod  toward  his  parcels. 

He  lodced  down  at  them  apologetically. 

"Oh,  theter  he  sud.  with  his  hnl-liglitaiiiff 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  273 


smile.  "To  tell  the  truth,  I  really  had  to  buy  these. 
I've  just  been  down  to  the  village  for  *em  P' 

He  held  out  the  bunch  of  violets  to  me.  They 
were  not  the  kind  that  grow  in  country  glades.  They 
were  the  kind  you  get  at  Thorley's,  and  they  cost 
more  than  prints  of  creamery  butter. 

*'I  love  flowers  1"  I  told  him,  as  I  buried  my  nose 
in  them.  Then  I  looked  up  at  him  and  smiled.  I 
was  puzzling  him,  apparently,  quite  as  much  as  he 
had  been  puzzling  me.  His  cut  on  the  lip  from  the 
night  before,  I  noticed,  was  quite  swollen  and  dis- 
colored. And  he  looked  rather  meek  and  domestic, 
loaded  down  with  those  parcels  like  a  commuter. 
Yet  he  seemed  determined  to  accept  the  situation 
quite  as  casually  as  I  had  been  doing. 

"Sleep  well?"  he  inquired,  as  I  followed  him 
across  the  breakfast-room  to  the  snowy  little  table. 

"Like  a  top!"  I  told  him,  though  just  why  a  top 
should  stand  as  an  emblem  of  sound  slumber  was 
quite  beyond  my  comprehension. 

"Hungry?"  he  inquired,  as  he  tumbled  the  rolls 
out  on  the  table-top.  I  arranged  them  neatly  on  an 
empty  plate  as  I  ansv/ered  him. 

"Starving!"  I  replied,  and  I  remembered  that 
much  the  same  words  had  been  used  at  tibe  last  meal 
which  I  bad  eaten  with  him* 


274     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


We  sat  down,  one  at  each  side  of  the  table.  Then 

he  suddenly  got  up  again. 

"Will  you  excuse  me  for  ont  minute?**'  he  ttad 
over  his  shoulder,  as  he  started  for  the  door. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  I  asked  him,  with  a 
good  deal  of  trepidation,  and  one  hand  firmly  on  the 
roll  plate,  to  make  sure  that  the  best  part  of  my 
breakfast  wasn't  going  to  follow  him.  But  he  didn't 
wait  to  answer  me.  And  I  sat  there  wondering  if 
he'd  gone  for  good,  or  merely  slipped  out  for  a 
policeman,  or  remembered  to  awaken  the  mysterious 
lady  in  the  cream  and  gold  room  above  stairs. 

But  I  was  wrong  on  every  coimt.  For  he  came 
back  in  a  moment  or  two  with  the  black  club-bag 
in  his  hand  and  a  look  of  relief  on  his  face. 

"It  isn't  the  sort  of  thing,  you  know,  that  you 
care  to  leave  lying  arotmd  in  comers !"  he  apologeti- 
cally remarked,  as  he  stepped  into  the  room  and 
quietly  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

He  put  the  club-bag  close  beside  his  chair  as  he 
sat  down  again.  ■ 

"Shall  I  pour?"  I  asked,  as  I  lifted  the  cosey  from 
the  silver  coffee-pot. 

"Thanks,"  he  said,  but  his  eyes,  I  noticed,  were 
studious  and  abstracted.  He  served  the  bacon  and 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  275 


eggs.  Tlwn  he  nodded  in  the  dinctioo  of  the 
libntiy,  where  I  had  enewreied  that  nqrefeerioot  tde- 
phone  can.  The  eagle,  I  laiew»  was  itiB  haty  with 
its  dawing  act 

'^ere  yen  e3q>ecting  a  visitor?"  he  ashed,  in  an 
offhanded  and  in^ersonal  sort  of  way. 

'Td  prefer  not  having  oaeT  I  tcAd  him,  quite  as 
in^iersonally. 

T  trust  you'n  not  be  disappointed  hi  that  wish," 
he  said.  But  there  was  a  note  of  constraint  in  his 
voice  as  he  spoke.  And  his  eyes,  from  time  to  time, 
kept  searching  my  face. 

"And  3rou?"  I  inquired,  remembering  the  sleqper 
above  us.   "Were  you  expecting  a  visitor?" 

"It  would  rather  interfere  with  our  plans, 
wouldn't  it?"  he  suggested. 

I  lodced  up  at  him. 

"What  plans  have  we?"  I  asked.  We  were  both 
eating  by  this  time.  And  I  observed  that  his  appe- 
tite was  quite  as  normal  as  my  own. 

"That's  something  we  have  to  talk  over,"  he 
asknowledged. 

"I  think  we  have  a  great  deal  to  talk  over,"  I 
amended. 

"Yes,  a  great  deal,"  he  agreed,  as  he  passed  me 


276     THE  HOUSE  OF  IKTiaGUE 


my txmfiitmAUxkom of iSma,  '^oakwyw*ift 
yotn  since  I've  done  tiiis  sort  of  tiup^r 

"Yoa  mean— «r— fMud  for  things?"  I  caimly  kor 
qmxed»  wtdi  a  bead-movemeirt  towtrdllie  roll  plate. 

He  nodded  his  own  head,  ahnost  gleefully,  like  a 
stfeet-nrcyn  who'd  raided  a  f mtt-cart 

"I  find  I  faU  quite  often,  in  the  little  things,"  he 
adtnowledged.  "If  s  only  the  big  coups  that  I  care 
to  count  ml" 

"Such  as  half  a  nillioa  in  a  dul>4)agr  I  sug- 
gested. 

Still  again  he  nodded  Ins  head. 
'^eH  I  want  to  talk  about  this  dub-bag,  and  cer- 
tain things  that  happened  last  ni^"  I  told  him. 
He  at  (»K»  became  serious. 
**I  was  hoping  you  wouldn't  go  back  to  that" 
"Whyriadodlnni. 

'because  I  tfioi^  perhaps  you'd  had  all  you 
wanted  of  that  sort  of  thing,  and  would  prefer  taBcp 
ing  about  the  future." 

"I  don't  think  I've  got  any  future,"  I  told  him, 
with  a  gulp  of  self-pity  that  I  couhln't  altogether 
succeed  in  laughing  down. 

"That's  what  I  wanted  to  t^k  to  you  about,"  he 
calmly  retorted. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  m 


^''Of  IBltUlOC?''  I  Mlidf  VCI7  IWUbH  out  XKf  fustsA* 

He  sat  staring  at  me  acrost  tiw  talile  for  a  fi^ 
Biinute  bdotv  lie  spoica. 

"Why  don't  you  like  me?"  he  asked,  as  offhand- 
edly as  1ium|^  he  were  inquiring  die  tinw  of  dqr. 

"Whosaidldidtftr 

"Your  face  says  so»  five  or  six  tines  every 
mimtter' 

It wasniytnnitositandkMkathiai.  ForitMid- 
denty  camt  home  to  me  that  I  wa»  enjoying  tins 
novd  tete4-t£te  modi  more  than  I  had  imagaisd. 
He  was  a  man  easy  to  talk  to»  was  Wendy  Wash- 
bum.  He  wm  ntioid  and  imaffected,  and  there 
wue  uiiKB  mien  you  iwemeg  10  m  inxo  nis  imiwor 
u  easily  as  you  fit  into  an  armdair.  There  was  a 
^ptiet  in^erao-^lity  abocH  htm  that  put  you  at  your 
ease^  He  never  reminded  you  of  your  sex.  There 
was  no  smirking  gallantry  about  Inm.  Eveninqpite 
of  tlw  fact  that  tibere  wo'e  a  good  many  comers  in 
his  fife  that  he'd  kept  covered  up,  he  fmggested,  in 
his  apparent  openness,  a  young  and  healthy  boy.  He 
always  seemed  to  be  doing  the  right  sort  of  thing. 
It  may  not  have  been  the  right  sort  of  thing,  of 
course,  but  he  had  a  way  of  doing  it  which  made  it 
seem  right.  And  he  would  always  be  easy  to  get  tm 
with. 


278      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


XOu  Otmmil  f  to  UuH  WCf  imXf  k  XtOmSij  (OKX 
fllflf , 

*^Id(^"hei«Mwithtfieiitmottiokmnity»  1 
VI  uM  n  more  unn  you  oo  jounciz. 

IeoiildB'tqatttGttdiwhttlie''teHitb]rtiiat.  But 
I  didn't  tfiink  aiqr  the  lest  of  ^'  n  .or  saying  it 

"Go  en,"  I  modGed.  Td!  ^  tH  tboist  niyidf 

He  teemed  to  ymx^  at  the  dianoe. 

"All  right,  I  win  And  you  on  tell  ine  wlwtber 
I'm  rig^t  or  wrong.  You've  tdwaya  ndmr  13r  nice 
things.  If  I'm  not  greatly  mittaken,  yoo  always 
secretly  revolted,  even  as  a  young  giri,  at  the 
thought  of  Hfe  in  a  pigeonhole  on  one  ol  the  side* 
streets.  You've  always  had  a  sort  of  adie  to  he  in 
tOQch  with  the  splendor  of  fife— to  swin»  with  the 
swell  push,  M  some  of  tior  Center  Street  .^fkndt 
might  express  it" 

He  de^iwd  to  countenance  vtiy  interruption. 

"Now,  pull  down  ^kmc  Elsie  Ferguson  eydirows 
ttDtil  I  finish,  please,"  he  went  on.  "I  don't 
mean  the  white  lights  and  lobster-palace  floaters 
and  fifteen<an^  diamcMKi  rings,  by  the  splendor 
of  life.  But  no  girl  is  as  fastidious  as  you 
are  about  her  dothes,  and  about  her  hair,  and  about 
heradf  altogether,  without  having  that  streak  of 
fineness  extending  rij^t  up  into  her  mind.  It  has 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  279 


to  be  a  part  of  her.  Now,  wait,  don't  interrupt  t  I'm 
not  trying  to  flatter  you.  You  clipped  the  wings  of 
anything  like  that  one  afternoon  down  at  Long 
Beach.  But  what  I  do  acknowledge  is  that  the 
whole  thing  puzzles  me,  that  I  can't  quite  square 
you,  as  you  sit  there  at  that  side  of  the  table,  with 
what  happened  that  day  at  Long  Beach,  and  with 
what  happened,  well,  last  night,  if  we  don't  want  to 
go  back  too  far." 

I  think  I  both  liked  him  and  hated  him  'or  the 
things  he  was  saying.  I  didn't  bother  to  ask  lyself 
why.  But  he  was  breaking  into  that  high-walled 
garden  which  has  ''Personal"  written  over  its  gate-  * 
arch.  And  it  had  become  an  instinct  of  life  with 
fv?.  I  vaapposit,  to  resent  all  such  intrusions. 

'     seem  to  be  rather  interested  in  me,"  I  6b- 
fc,  •    J  by  way  of  a  "No-Trespassing"  sign. 

'1  oMt/"  he  promptly  acknowledged.   'Tm  tre- 
mendously interested  in  you !" 

"And  how  far  bode  does  this  interest  extend?"  I 
coldly  inquired. 

"Back  to  the  first  day  I  ever  met  you,"  he  had  the 
candor  to  acknowledge. 

"And  how  far  does  it  promise  to  extend  into  the 
future?"  I  asked,  more  imsettled  his  solemnity 
than  I  had  been  by  his  flippancy. 


280     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


But  Wendy  Washbitni  did  not  tntwer  my  quet^ 

own* 

'^ott  don't  woity  nmch  about  tlimgt,  do  yoa?^ 

"What*  •  tbe  naer*  I  fctortcd. 

Tott  ntiier  rarprite  on  that  point,"  lie  nia- 
fully  admitted. 

"Then  it  may  surprise  you  to  know  lliat  at  thii 
very  moment  I  am  worried,  and  terriUy  worried.'' 

"About  what?" 

"About  everything  P' 

He  smiled  a  little. 

"You  don't  look  it." 

"I  was  always  told  to  keep  up  a  good  front,"  I 
explained,  as  that  old  streak  of  perversity,  which 
kept  tempting  me  to  key  my  talk  down  to  the  under- 
world plane,  reasserted  itself.  And  I  could  see  my 
Hero-Man's  mouth  harden. 

"The  sentiment  may  be  admirable,  but  the  (  irase 
strikes  me  as  rather  obnoxious  1" 

I  had  always  been  too  much  of  a  pepper-pot,  I 
suppose,  to  take  criticism  like  that  with  folded  hands 
and  a  meekly  bowed  head. 

"It  seemed  good  enough  for  the  man  who  taught 
it  to  me,"  I  said.  And  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
beholding  a  hope  fulfilled,  for  his  face  clouded  up  in 
q>ite  of  himself. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  281 


"Bod  Gfjfiraldli''  %  'toltf  hSnk  yriA  %  toMdi  of 
M&e.  'Qod  ahneit  cUmd  tint  ft  flood  Iniai 
Iwlptd  otti  in  oar  Hbq  of  bwiotitr' 

-Om  Km  of  huiumr  odKied  Wcn^f  WoiIk 
born,  in  ft  lOft  ^  posn. 

«^ell,  in't  it  fttem  tbe  MtM  tt  yoitr  Bm  ol  M- 

Ho  iDoked  at  urn  faeaal-QFodf  for  ft  aooMiit  or 
two.  Tim  iK  lit  bftdt  m  ft  brows  atndjrs 

*1  tbkk  l  nmB^  nun  Ihm  m^ttik^  cbc,  ttuit 
MMifo  inffwmco  ottr  yoa>**  he  imSfy  ftwerttd.  Ht 
OffB  ti^wd*  I  Mfpoie  St  the  iMniOfy  of  toy  mit. 
•pent  life. 

'nrtiero  WW  oot  ttdof  tliat  Bud  wmt  nOter  pofw 
tiadar  abool;''  I  aaiit       all  tiw  sugary  indiffer- 

owe  tint  I  fiodd  ooniBaiiit,  "ftiid  that  wfti  to  fiipMt 
^dcadr 

The  dwdriM  oteid,  battioff  Ilia  ejet  wi&  pefw 
plextty.  Then  he  aeeoKd  to^  walm  iq»  to  the  fact 
tint  I  had  beao  hnr&v  a  hafpoqo  at  hiiq,  for  he 
kMhed  8c^<eQiiieioaaaad  awkward. 

"Bot  so  many  of  us  are  half  dead  without  quite 
rsaliiiiifl  he  kmely  comended,  dojng  his  best 
to  es^^i^  the  hut^^  cuttle&h. 

**Thaiile  your  I  retorted. 


282     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


**0n  tht  eootfiiy,  I  eotMn't  icqim  jfod  of  boI 
btfaif  attn^**  pralMldL  1  tftioiE,  pntuvt,  tint 
yoii'rahitlMr  too  nodi  albe.  Bat  I  cw't  help  M- 
ing  it's  ben  iocXUk  eoft  of  HftXbam,  the  kind 
joii  eee  in  a  eqnitrel-cife.'' 

"AgainlOniikyoar  leoknuilytoldliiiii.  Bat 
he  refoMd  to  be  ihikea  oat  of  hit  eeriotineii 

<*What  I  mean  ittfntyoa*^  never  fifod  19  to  yoor 
potentialitiet.  Yoa'venevergitenyoanelf  achmee. 
Yoa've  never  reaUy  riten  to  yoar  opportunitiet. 
You've  wailed  yoar  time  on  the  nnall  cal&er  tfiinge 
of  life.  Inilead  of  conqnering,  ytxNt  meafy 
fretted.  InHead  of  niiiif  tint  reitlesa  bram  and 
body  Heaven  gave  you,  for  one  big  end,  you've  kt 
tiiem  blow  like  a  kaf  in  ihe  whidt  of  dianoe  r 

1  don't  quite  foikrn  you,"  I  a^y  aflirmed,  try 
ing  to  throw  dignity  up,  like  a  guard-arm,  to  ward 
off  the  btowt  that  were  beginning  to  hurt 

^  mean  that  you're  too  ciever  a  woman,  yes,  and 
too  fine  a  woman,  to  be  doing  the  things  you  have 
been  doing,"  he  said,  still  speaking  without  heat 

"I'm  afraid  I'm  a  very  stupid  woman,  or  I 
wouldn't  be  letting  you  say  the  things  you  are  saying 
to  me,"  I  said,  meeting  his  gaze.  I  was  even  aMe  to 
laugh  at  him,  though  there  wasn't  mud  mmmo^ 
in  that  laughter  of  mine.   For  there  was  only  too 


TRB  BOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  283 


OMMli  Mil  Is  flMqr  of  fitt        hi  tei 
inf.  Ht  was  foiftt  tighl b  MifteliiV llMlI 
A  Mct  of  wl^4op^  tfMlI  «oaid  00^  kMT  W  Mmhs 
fegrbeiaf k^fonvtriniiiolioa.  Htwwdwiiglil 
in  miprcting  tirt  Fd  ihriyi  aamd  >  newt  irt  ab" 
nvd  adM  for  ^rtndtar,  a  tort  of  fagat  ftonmicit 
MM  for  MOM  ipliiidQr  iHiidi  I  eoaldB*t  faili 
OHm.  even  as  a  jroongitar,  Fd  ianfiaid  ai|iilf  a 
chanyHng.  Maajr  a  loacijr  Imr  of  aqr  diSdhood 
lad  teen  tpeot  in  devitiag  iwaaatia  ictioM  at  to  aagr 
origiB  and  anoMtrjr.  Bat  wnty  torn  ifwaiwd  fO» 
noe  of  roanaes  hadkdnit  wear^  bade  to  IfiMlta 
Lane.  Yet  Fd  idwayt  loved  teaatifol  ddi^  aid 
iMQifmd  to  csploia  btanlifid  ImMi^  and 
foolkliljr  after  even  beantiM  dotlMf. 

It  was  became  Bod  Grbiroid  hadfint  bfM%  na 
into  toadi  witii  tiNM  tiitegib  I  raneaibered,  ttot  I 
Mba^aweak  eoooi^tofwirtf  la  wi'^  him.  He 
bad  bfooglit  me  into  toodi  %.£l.>  ten  ciasSy  and 
aeddealalfy*  petiapi,  bnt  it  had  itemed  #K  only  way 
opentooH^  Bod  had  never  ben  afaii  to  give  mi  a 
homi.  Botht^dbitn^tolitmieomiapfihia 
tpooB-bm  to  bntlhi  hi  Ikt  tawdiy  beauty  of  a  big 
hotd.  He'd  been  ibk  to  fem  tptmdor,  Ibr  at  leatt  an 
homvbf  dhiii^  hi  t«iterl(»' teta»x,at  &e  Bitonoxe. 
Bat  we  were  alwaya  seating  and  aoihmg  mote. 


284     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Once  our  bill  had  been  paid  we  lost  our  claim  on  that 
Island  of  Enchantment  just  wide  enough  from  one 
white  damask  boundary  to  the  other  to  hold  up  two 
pair  of  elbows.  We  were  royalty,  for  an  hour, 
whereupon  some  other  listless-hearted  flat-dwelling 
lady  promptly  took  possession  of  my  chair,  remind- 
ing me  that  I  was  only  one  in  a  processioii  of  self- 
deluded  impostors. 

Wendy  Washburn,  who  had  sat  there  studying 
my  face,  began  to  look  concerned. 

"I  don't  suppose,"  he  finally  ventured,  "that  you 
know  why  I'm  pteacfaing  to  yon  akmg  this  particular 
finer 

**No^  I  don't,"  was  my  reply.  "But  I  do  know 
Hat  preadiing  isn't  ever  gnng  to  make  any  differ* 
ence  with  me^  or  even  do  me  any  good!" 

Hy  note  of  revoft  teemed  to  disturb  him.  He 
even  cok>red  a  little  as  he  stared  across  the  table  at 
me. 

-OK  I  say,  yon  mu^'t  imagine  I'm  trying  any- 
Haag  so  stupid  as  Hut  f*  he  cried.  "We  don't  sud- 
denly torn  good  that  way,  of  course— except  in  the 
Ebk  books,  or  at  Billy  Sunday's  revtvabr 

Tliett  why  ta&  about  it  at  aliri  inquired.  Bol 
diat  question,  apparent*  be  pi-efemd  to  Icsve  «a*- 
ntwettd* 


THE  HCXJSE  OR  JXftOlGXM  28$ 


"By  the  way,  would  you  regard  me  as  clever  as 
Bud  Griswold?"  he  somewhat  startled  me  by  asking. 

''You've  had  more  chances,  I  think,  than  Bud  ever 
did,"  I  told  him.  "And  you  may  laugh  at  me  for 
saying  it,  but  outside  his  work  Bud  was  the  deaiH 
est-living  man  I  ever  knew." 

"You  mean  you  always  oooskleKd  him  that?" 

"Always,"  I  affirnied. 

"Of  course  you  would,"  he  agreed. 

"Why  the  *of  course'?"  I  demanded. 

"Otherwise  you'd  never  have  woiked  with  him," 
explained  my  Hero-Man,  with  a  frown  of  trouUe 
on  his  fastidious-looking  forehead.  "But  with  all  due 
deference  to  this  same  Bud,  I  can't  help  feeling  that 
his  vision  was  limited.  As  far  as  I  can  estkaatt 
him,  he  was  big  in  just  one  thing.  And  that  om 
tfak^  WM  his  treatment  of— no^  not  cscac^  Us 
treatment  of  you,  bnt  his  appeedatkm  of  yoaf 

I  felt  in  no  wqr  flirttersd  over  that  Ieit>handid 

Ton  never  knew  Bod  Griswold  as  I  katw  Um," 
Iretocted»tryinf  toipcakascahnlf  aslcodd.  "He 
wmf  onv  DSOD  ncunmy  neaer  imii  v  CyRBMnap* 
nttn,  bat  hi  1^  onm  fattnd  way  he  untt  always  ttyhm 

|(luye  up  to  WKmt  tSu^gk,    Hib  HHWinBg  BH|r 


286     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


criminal  has  to  be  wrong— bnt  even  at  that  sort  o 
wcnrk  Bud  tried  to  kttp  as  clean-handed  as  he  coulc 
I  can  remember  when  a  porch-climber  friend  of  hi 
steered  him  into  a  chance  to  clean  out  a  four-famil 
flat-hottie  in  Qeveland.  He  merely  said.  'Nix  o 
tiie  wage-earners !'  And  he  meant  it  For  he  a) 
ways  drew  the  line  at  robbing  the  poor.  But  he  fe 
that  he  had  a  sort  of  ri^t  to  shake  down  the  rid 
now  and  then,  and  I've  seen  him  make  his  rocmds  i 
though  he  were  a  tax-collector  after  arrean. 
think  he  even  took  a  sort  of  joy  in  setting  an  ovei 
dressed  dowager  back  a  couple  of  marquise  riii| 
and  a  sunburst  or  two  V* 

Wendy  Washbom  aat  studying  me  quite  toberl] 
But  for  aane  reatoii  or  other  there  was  lamor  i 
his  eyes. 

"I  like  you  for  being  Ic^  to  Bud,  no  matter  whi 
he  was,"  explained  the  man  acroat  Iht  table  froi 
me.  "But  what  I've  been  trying  to  get  at  is  that  a 
tiwae  activities  of  his  were  pretty  small  affair 
They  could  only  lead  to  failure,  m  die  end.  In  &e 
they  did  lead  to  failure.  They  werm't  hig  cnom 
to  Jotttfy  itaiselves.  Bud,  I  raem,  may  ha\ 
fNcn  the  moat  t^r^^  burger  who  ever  jimmied 
bade  window,  but  to  ^  kxil  9^ee  he  wo^  i^wig 


7HB  mvm  or  mwmvz  m. 


I  resented  that  description  of  Bud,  and  it  made 
the  tone  of  my  retort  rather  bitter,  I  stq>pote. 

"While  you  do  your  work  along  such  sweefnog 
lines,"  I  suggested,  "that  the  chance  to  pack  a  jury 
is  never  overlooked  and  an  ex-judge  can  alwa^  bt 
retained  to  confirm  the  acquittal  1" 

He  laus^  «t  that*  quietly  and  a  little  bewikiefw 
ingly. 

"Well,"  he  retorted,  'I've  at  kait  out  ol  jail, 
however  I  do  my  work!" 

"So  have  I !"  was  my  prompt  counter  to  tMt  »• 
tort.  "And  what's  more  important — " 

instead  of  completing  that  sentence,  however,  my 
voice  trailed  off  into  silence.  For,  ckMely  as  I  had 
been  looking  at  the  face  of  the  man  across  the  labia 
from  me,  I  became  vaguely  omsdous  of  a  move- 
ment not  many  feet  beyoiKi  the  tgot.  mhm  iHm  um 
sat 

Without  actually  lookini;  at  the  door  in  the  wall 
directly  behind  him,  I  became  aware  of  the  fact  that 
this  door  had  slowly  swung  bad^  as  Ukm^  mewed 
by  a  listener  hidden  in  its  shadow. 

I  didn't  betray  that  discovery  by  any  mMm 
movement  or  start  But  my  firat  thoa^  was  of 
the  unknown  woman  I  had  «ca  i^bq^  kk  ^  biot 
and  fold  badfoettiip^tyia.  > 


M     THZ  HOUSE  OF  mnOGUE 


The  thought  of  that  unknown  woman,  howevc 
did  not  stay  long  in  my  head.  For  the  door,  swinj 
ing  still  wider,  had  allowed  that  unseen  interlojH 
to  pass  mto  the  room  itself.  My  gaze  was  still  d 
rected  on  Wendy  Washburn's  face.  I  did  not  ac 
ually  look  away  from  him.  Yet  somewhere  on  it 
yague  borders  of  vision  I  received  an  impression  ( 
a  moving  shadow.  I  knew  that  some  one  hs 
opened  Hat  uoor,  had  silently  entered  the  room,  ac 
was  advancing  across  the  floor. 

Wendy  Washburn  was  speaking  again,  but  I  hj 
no  idea  what  he  was  saying.  His  words  became 
meaningle'* :  jumble  of  sound,  and  I  lost  all  thoug! 
of  him,  as  that  advancing  shadow  moved  more  d 
fectly  into  my  line  of  vision. 

My  first  shock  came,  as  I  slowly  raised  my  cy< 
"when  I  discovered  the  intruder  was  not  a  woma 
My  second  shock  came  when  I  realized  that  this  i 
truder  carried  a  blue-barreled  automatic  in  his  rig 
hand.  But  the  third  shock,  and  the  great* 
of  them  all,  came  when  I  saw  that  this  intruder  w 
a  man  whom  I  had  been  taught  to  think  of  as  dea 

For  standing  before  me  I  saw,  not  a  ghost  of  Bi 
Gripwold,  but  Bud  Griswold  himself.  Bud  in  t 
fiesh.  Bud  with  the  priscm-pallor  still  cm  his  gau 
Bad  clad  in  fCMkd  iioM  ai|d  ilMcenipt  dotli^ 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  289 


and  Bod  with  a  look  in  bit  dei^-tct  snd  sliglitly 
glazed  eyea  wfaidi  braai^  me  lnlf«ira7  up  from  my 
diair,  witb  a  f ooluh  aort  of  aqneak  of  terror,  wUch 
I  could  no  more  control  tiuun  I  could  control  my  cii> 
culation.  For  I  had  kaned  to  know  that  bok,  and 
I  waa  afraid  of  it 


CHAPTER  SIXTEEN 


AS  I  stood  there  ttaring  pait  the  head  of  Wend] 
Jlm.   Waahbura  I  called  out  the  one  word  oi 

But  that  white-faced  man  who  had  come  uwk  ac 
auddenly  to  the  world  of  the  Itviag  paid  acaat  atten 
tion  to  me.   He  didn't  even  look  at  me. 

"Stand  vpr  he  faaiked  out  at  Wendy  Waahbon 
as  the  latter,  startled  by  my  gaping  face,  twistec 
interrogativdy  about  hi  his  diair.  I  noCioed  ibm 
tiie  sntomatic  no  l6i^  wavered,  but  was  lev^ 
directly  at  the  other  man's  head.  And  the  look  h 
Bnd  Griswdd's  eyes  still  fri|^tened  me. 

"M,  doi^t  shootf  I  gaifed  out,  as  Wend] 
Waslibom  rose  to  his  feet  and  alood  with  his  bad 
against  the  table.  Even  then,  f  or  aS  the  bihid  f  e 
rodty  on  his  face,  I  fdt  sorry  for  Bud.  Then 

MSCmCQ  In  W I W 1  n ' 'ly  oO  IUU^cHSOOII^e  WKl  IIIHI  IHIrTlHf 

about  that  face.  It  was  cfaildidi.  It  was  pathetic 
And  rtrwiger  even  than  the  terror  that  was  tingKi^ 
Hifoqi^  Biy  body  was  iStut  sudden  surge  of  ptty  f oi 

290 


THE  HOUSE        INTRIGUE  291 


this  num  who  had  always  misundtratood  lilt  at  IIm 
living  had  misunderstood  him. 

Then  my  wits  came  back  to  me,  and  I  pmM  mf 
vizy  m  between  the  two  men  eo  coldly  ^inf  tach 
other. 

"Budl"  I  cried  out  But  he  refused  to  look  at 
me. 

"WeU.  what  d'  you  want?"  waa  hit  none  too 

gentle  reply. 

"Bud,  they  told  me  you  were  dead*"  I  wmt  on, 
desperately  intent  on  distracting  him  from  a^y  wild 
end  whkh  he  might  have  in  view. 

'1  was  as  good  as  dead,  I  guest,"  he  mtortcd,  wHii 
a  movement  for  me  to  step  aside.  But  I  ata^ 
where  I  was. 

"What  are  you  6cmg  here  r  I  demanded. 

He  stared  at  mt  a  k>ok  of  hottiHty  m  lut 
haggard  eye. 

"That's  a  fuettton  I  want  you  to  answer,"  he  re 
torted. 

I  realized  as  I  stared  back  at  lOm,  that  it  ♦wUt 
time  to  digest  a  mental  shock.  I  still  foimd  ft  hai^ 
to  think  of  hhtt^ a  MMnd-bbod  human  being. 
For  over  two  yanni  iSm  habit  of  maos^lkim  ^  at 

dead  had  been  frd^r  fttdf  in  nqr  nM  iM  ft 
wasn't  eaqr  to  break  a  habft  as  fixed  as  thai 


292     THE  HOU^  OP  IKtRIdUB 


"Then  that  woman  lied  to  tnel"  I  called  out  t 

him. 

"What  woman?"  he  evaded.  But  his  c^e  t 
longer  seemed  able  to  meet  mine. 

"Copperhead  Kate,"  I  said,  and  into  that  nama 
threw  all  the  scorn  I  could  command.  Forl  hati 
her  now,  more  than  ever.  And  for  the  first  tin 
in  my  life  I  saw  a  hang-dog  expres^od  on  Bud  Gri 
wold's  face.  He  lodced  hkt  m  diecp4dfler  on  tl 
morning  after.  And  he  knew  that  bole  was  ther 
He  tried  to  hide  it  by  lAtiffling  to  one  si^  on  tl 
pretense  of  more  diredfy  ooof ronthif  Wendf  Wad 
bum,  who  all  this  ttme  wm  stani&ig  siknt  and  sliid 
ous  behind  me. 

"Then  it  was  that  woman  who  woriced  tlw  ropt 
for  your  pardon,  or  your  parole,  or  your  ddmaiiiii 
tion,  or  whatever  it  was?"  I  dedared,  with  tl 
double-edged  spear-head  of  jealoosy  cutting  n^  wen 
in  two.  And  there  was  excuse  enoiq^  I  saddeaJ 
saw,  for  all  those  vague  old  snqnctons  whl^  ha 
once  yelped  in  my  he«rt  Hke  htintiiig4ogs  m  ana 
]ffe8S-<ar. 

1  didn't  come  here  to  talk  ibout  that  intua^ 
was  Bud's  unexpe^etfiy  btioit  retcn^ 
Then  iHiat  did  you  come  for?"  I  demandsd. 


THE  HOUS^  OF  IKXmQUE  293 


My  eye  followed  him  as  he  backed  away  from  me. 
There  seemed  something  almost  symbolic  in  that 
movement  of  his. 

"I  want  that  dub-bag,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the 
satchel  which  stood  half  under  the  edge  of  the  taUe- 
doth. 

"Why?"  I  asked.  I  tried  to  be  calm,  but  all  the 
while  I  had  that  odd  sickening  feeling,  just  under 
the  corset-cover,  which  comes  to  people  when  they 
feel  their  first  earthquake,  when  they  learn  for  the 
first  time  that  the  one  solid  thing  on  which  they  had 
depended  is  ho  longer  worthy  of  that  dependence. 

"You  know  why  as  well  as  I  do/'  was  his  sulkii- 
t<med  answer. 

"Then  you  and  that  woman  are  working  to- 
gether I"  I  cried  out  at  him,  hoping  against  hogt  that 
he  would  be  able  to  deny  it. 

"Well,  what  about  you  and  this  man  here?" 
scoffed  Bud.   "Aren't  you  working  with  him?" 

"Am  I  ?"  I  demanded,  swinging  about  on  Wendy 
Washburn.  His  face  was  a  little  paler  than  usual, 
but  outwardly  he  was  quite  calm.  "Am  I?"  I  re- 
peated.   But  he  declined  to  answer  that  question. 

"Supposing  the  three  of  us  ail  dowa  and  taU(  tbia 
ofver/'  he  quietly  mggCMbtd, 


294     TH£  HOUSE  OP  INTKIGUE 


"I  didn't  come  here  for  any  afternoon-tea  s^ce,' 
announced  Bud.   "I  want  that  bag,  and  I  wan 

everything  that's  in  it  I" 

A  second  great  wave  of  pity  for  that  white-facei 
man  with  the  automatic  pistol  in  his  hand  swep 
through  me.  I  don't  know  exactly  what  it  was,  o; 
why  it  was,  but  I  felt  so  sorry  for  Bud  Griswold  a 
he  stood  there  that  I  could  have  leaned  on  hit  shoul 
der  and  cried  like  a  baby. 

It  wasn't  so  much  that  he  was  taking  somethinj 
away  from  me  which  I  couldn't  define,  that  he  wa 
roughly  obliterating  me  from  his  existence,  that  h( 
was  humiliating  me  before  the  one  man  whose  scon 
would  always  be  doubly  hard  to  bear.  It  was  mon 
that  he  was  humiliating  himself,  denuding  his  pooi 
pathetic  figure  of  its  last  shred  of  dignity,  robbin| 
himself  of  every  hope  for  the  future. 

I  wondered,  as  I  stood  staring  at  him,  if  for  th< 
first  time  in  my  life  I  was  seeing  him  in  his  tnw 
light;  if,  during  the  last  two  or  three  years,  I  hac 
indeed  learned  to  look  on  him  and  his  kind,  and  all 
they  stood  for,  as  I  had  never  been  able  to  look  on 
them  before.  And  I  felt  a  sudden  lump  in  mj 
throat  as  I  stood  there  asking  myself  these  ques- 
tions. 

"Bud,"  I  began,  with  a  quaver  in  my  voice  whtd 


TH£  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE,  29$ 


I  couldn't  control,  T  want  to  talk  to  you.  I've  got 
to  talk  to  you.  You're  trying  to  do  loinethuig  yoaH 
be  sorry  tor,  something  you  can't  help  being  sorry 
for,  all  your  life.  This  whole  thing's  too  tangled 
for  me  to  explain  it  to  you  here.  But  I  want  you  to 
believe  in  me.  I  want  you  to  know  that  I'm  being 
sincere  with  you.  If  you  take  that  stuff  you're— 
you're  going  to  spoil  my  life.  And  I  know  you 
don't  want  to  do  that" 

He  looked  at  me,  with  his  deep-sunken  eyes,  but 
there  was  a  glitter  in  them  which  I  had  never  seen 
there  before. 

"I  guess  Tm  not  the  zany  who  can  do  any  spoiling 
along  that  line,"  he  retorted.  He  said  it  roughly, 
but  I  thought,  in  my  blindness,  he  was  doing  that 
only  to  hide  his  real  feeling. 

"But  it  could  have  been  yours.  Bud,"  I  told  him, 
trying  in  vain  to  keep  my  voice  steady.  "And  I 
want  you  to  believe  every  word  I  say  when  I  tell  you 
it  can  be  yours  still.  I'll  go  with  you.  Bud,  wherever 
you  say,  wherever  you  want,  if  you'll  only  do  what 
I'm  asking  you  i" 

There  was  a  movement  from  the  man  behind  me. 
But  I  was  not,  at  the  moment,  interested  in  that  man. 
I  was  too  intently  watching  Bud  Griswold's  face.  I 
was  looking  for  something,  but  I  lodced  in  vain. 


295     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTEIGUS 


"Nix  on  that  refonn  stuff,**  he  said,  and  his  ow 
voice  was  a  little  unsteady  as  he  said  it  "Let  m 
tell  you  something.  I  tried  that  game,  and  i 
wouldn't  go  down.  I  tried  that  after  I  got  out. 
hit  Chicago  and  stumbled  into  the  Pacific  Garde 
Mission  there,  where  old  Harry  Monroe  used  t 
hold  out  for  all  the  jail-birds  like  me.  Well,  I  trie 
the  dope.  I  hit  the  trial,  and  got  dnmk  on  orator 
the  same  as  other  down-and-outers  get  drunk  on  git 
But  they  couldn't  do  the  Billy-Sunday  trick  with  m< 
for  they  couldn't  show  me  how  to  live  on  big  talli 
And  I've  got  to  live.  And  I  only  laK>w  one  way  o 
doing  it  r 

"But  is  it  In  ingr  I  asked  him. 

•*Wcll,  whatever  jrou  want  to  call  it,  it's  about  al 
I'm  going  to  get,"  was  Bud's  ungracious  retort 
"And  I  guess  we've  wasted  enough  time  on  this  spie 
about  our  souls.  I'm  not  worrying  about  the  here 
after.  What  I  want  is  something  that's  going  U 
keep  me  more  comfortable  right  here  on  earth  1" 

I  had  never  before  heard  Bud  talk  in  that  strain 
and  it  was  a  shock  to  me.  It  worried  roe  even  mon 
than  the  ugly-looking  automatic  which  he  still  kepi 
poised  in  front  of  him. 

"And  where  are  you  going  to  get  it?"  I  asked 


THE  HOUSB  OP  IMTIUGUB  200^ 


tfm  irMH  I  lite  tfw  h [iji  limn iii  of  tfjFiag  l»  mv» 
wMi  liin* 

*'WlHl't  fa  tfu«  diMif  tiw*  wffi  ^  at  ft  eon- 
tidenbit  tiow,'*  be  annoaacwL  Hit  fipfncy  Imrt 
nt tvtBinora tei Ut MOhnm.  UleitliBtte 
ffickoftwUp-MiatttlMt.  It  titrlltd  in  Irto 

'^tid,  if  yoa  gbt  AM  liitt  MtooMtie  ra  i»  wMi 
yon,  wlMtmr  jmi  mat,"  X  tdA  hkm,  tt  I 
doMT  to  Ms  tidt. 
But  It  I  tdvaooed  ht  tecM  rfot^  tntiq^ 
*Vot  OB  yoor  liftr  Im  nid  witli  pirn 
tioQ. 

**Yott  flWBi  jroii  doo^t  wnt  flMr  X  cM* 
1  neta  I  don't  M  lor     tridc  tfMtr 
Tbea  70a  don't  tniit  ntr*  I  dantivJtd, 

Toa're  timM^       nt?  Yon  don^  t«Mifi«Bt 

tnetoffowitiijFOtt?^ 
HetliookhislMtd. 

'*Yoa  couldn't  cent  if  yoo  wanted  to^"  lit  idd 
with  t  derisive  btfk  of  a  Itaitli. 
•my  couldn't  ir 

*mm  guy  bere  woiddn't  kt  yoo,"  M^ltMl 
widi  a  pistol  wive  in  the  dbectiop  of  Wak^  Willie 
born.  '  - 


298     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


*nVliat  has  tliftt  man  got  to  do  widi  mtT*  I 

Bod  laui^iftd  oat  londy^tdi  his  deep  set  eyes  fixed 
on  the  odier  naiL 

"Why,  that  guy  wm  mtuky  on  you  ever  two 
yeanagof  was  half-sneering  bat  altogether  on-, 
expected  reply  tluit  cane  from  ^id  Griswolif  t 
unhappy  lips.  "That  nmft  im  lave  with  youf* 

I  tamed  dowtyahoiit  and  stared  at  Wendy  Wasb- 
bnm.  Bnt  his  face  was  a  mailL 

'That's  not  truer*  I  gasped. 

"then  iHio'd  you  'spose  ooui^ied  for  a&  tiiat 
convent  life  of  yonrsf  tnqnifed  tiie  white-faeed 
man  widi  the  automatic.  "Yon  don't  si^tpose  /  had 
heel  enough  ioe  that,  do  3roU|  when  I  oonldn't  even 
come  across  with  enough  to  buy  off  diose  Michigan 
cops  and  keep  out  of  Jackson?" 

I  kwked  from  one  man  to  the  other.  It  was  too 
mach  for  me  to  believe. 

"Bttt  this  man  is  a  bigger  erode  than  you  are,"  I 
tried  to  ex|dain  to  Bed. 

"Only  he  seems  to  do  a  neater  line  of  woiic,"  was 
Bod's  sneering  comment.  "And  if  you  knew  more 
about  this  house  you're  in,  you'd  be  a  little  wiser 
iibottt  what  I  mean  by  thatf 

Befcm  I  had  time  to  say  more  he  pui^ed  me  to 


THE  HCHTSS  OF  INTRIGUE  299 


one  tide  and  ilspptd  in  doMT  to  Wfody  Washburn. 
TlitcBdoftlM«sloinrti»4barrd  wMwit^  feefc 
of  iHm  a  tkader  fold  and  piatiaan  waleb^iMMi 
craned  Wcwfy's  vcH-frant 

"No  talk  iNn  joa,  now:  nol  a  woidr  Bod  nad 
to  hiai,  a  aavagery  idikh  vat  aa  «neqpeel»d  at 
the  movement  itadf.  "AU  I  want  from  you,  re* 
member,  ia  tiaa  baf  r  He  ilooped  and  caught  up 
die  chdHbag  from  the  ioor,  placmg  it  on  the  faiaafe- 
Iaft4dile  doaa  teikk  the  coffeepot  I  ooold  aw 
hia  felt  hand  fnmfa&iff  wik  tiw  caldiia  aa  halnit 
hia  cy*  on  Wend^  Waehbrnn. 

"Back  vsp  9ipmm  thai  waH,"  ha  bnnkfy  cobh 


There  waa  aotfdnf  lor  ^  oter  man  to  do  hot 
M  do«^  hack  tmta  hia  haela  damped  afakMl  tba 


"Ndir  alaar  tear  ivaa  BodTa  order,  M  he  pbeed 

of  At  table.  It  liia  80  ^aaad,  houfcver,  that  1^ 
iwMi  »«MiM  ^tt  on  it  at  a  aiomcn^a  noiiee;  Hi  fa^ 
tended  to  make  aora  of  ^  coalenia  ^  diaft  h^^  aod 
it  waa  pfeki  dm*  with  01^  Qua  free  hand  ha  had  been 
«MOitu»  ff*  fBtneaft  the  r  ifdiai  HaooiddnQlidlBvd 
to  look  down  al  Italic  ^  life  iQil^  l#  tfM^^i^M 

^  ^  AttMM*  < 


300     JHE  HOUSE  OF!  INTRIGUE 


2k>  tntent^  wm  w  wicMiig  tntt  nwit  m  ncti 
tiittlsawinjrcfaaiice, wdtocdcit  Iwei|^ttall 
over;  with  a  fmttic  tort  of  ddibentioii,  and  then  I 
gcA  busy.  I  was  aUe  to  ^yttep  up  htkaod  Ihe  man 
yM  tiw  bag  qidte  naohterved.  I  even  readied  out 
my  hand  and  had  my  lingers  damped  AmA  the  holt 
of  that  hdnry  and  ttgfy-hxildng  firearm  before  Bud 
had  any  knowledge  of  my  intentions.  And  ^wn  it 
was  too  bite.  For  I  had  the  gun  in  niy  hand  and 
had  MigtA  bade  from  the  table  before  he  cooM  so 
nmdi  as  lift  a  fii^  to  hkterfere  wiA  me. 

But  he  didn't  even  try  to  follow  me.  He  bfinhed 
down  at  die  opened  bag»  for  a  moment,  mKl  tin  he 
defiberateiy  stumped  it  shot  agitfn.  Then  he  stood 
b&ddng  across  the  room  at  me.  It  wasn't  aniaf* 
onism  I  smr  on  his  Isce.  It  wasnt  etea  resent- 
ment It  was  more  a  qmet  and  meniotional  da- 
temdnatioa  idndi  disttnted  me  more  tfian  ^ 
Uadnst  oetborst  of  anger  could  have  done.  It 
made  me  m  some  way  afndd  of  tiiat  soiiimheyed 
man  with  the  didhfaag  in  his  hand. 

'mat  «e  yon  gdmg  to  dor  I  demanded  hold- 
ing the  automatic  up  in  f  nmt  of  me. 

'i>o  yoB  reaOy  want  to  Imowrhe  iaqiAed,  as  he 
tVRied  hte  head  and  looted  bade  at  me  dightly  over 
Bssteidder,  lor  te  had  dM|y  fooBded  tiic  table; 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE  JDI 


«nrei» to  kiwir,'*  I  nidr  and  my  own  voice 
aooidkd  at  tya  is  &  amnBi  enixMHcopy.  For  all 
tiw  while  I  was  pnzsHnf  ^  cnpty  head  of  mine  as 

to  what  the  caase  of  ^  aew^loiiad  lortstnd*  of 
Bud's  eoiild  be. 

*T«  foing  out  Iliroi4h  Ait  door,"  slowly  ■»• 
terted  the  man  with  tiie  <^ib4i^;.  1'mfoingodt 
UutMi^  dyH  door,  and  oat  of  to  boose,  and  jooTre 

notfoh«toslopiiief 


•my 


If  I  deswBitid.  Wtthoot  eten 


betog  oonteieiii  of  die  act  I  raised  fhe  fotpl  on  a 

levd  with  117  sye. 

«W^r  pliided  Wen^  Wuhhom  fnm  id»e 
he  stood  iciM  tfM  wafi. 

•my  cMi*t  ir  I  i«peated  w^lk  ngr  ^  «>  ^ 
Bun  iffiB  hm  Di^* 

•'Beons^"  liMi  Bud  widi  hie  mm  sided —ih, 

Be  tad  the  w  I       >^  ^ 


••if  you 

better,  yoi^d  kaow  I  never  went  kilo  a  job  iHiN  a 
kMdedgOB,iBaaiayfiffe  If s too fistgr.** 

IkxdMddowaai  litthsavf  aofeeattlk.  Iveaaf 
open  ^  e%><&Biber  aad  ioand  k  aa  cnp^  as  m 
last  year's  bif^a«sst. 

It  msy  be  en^ty,"  «M  a  foiea  behhid  me  aa  I 
locked  up  just  ia  tina  to 


302     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


one  isn't,  and  you  two  high-brow  Robin  Hoods 
would've  found  it  out,  if  jou'd  made  one  move  to 
•top  that  man  r 

It  was  a  woman's  voice,  and  the  owner  of  that 
voice  stepped  in  through  the  inner  door  opponte  the 
hall  at  the  same  moment  that  I  swung  about  and 
stared  at  her.  It  wasn't  the  reTohwr  in  this  inter- 
loper's hand  that  made  me  gape  at  her  with  fnch 
stupid  and  empty  eyes.  It  was  the  discoveiy  that 
the  woman  was  Copperhead  Kate  herself. 

"Stop  her!"  was  my  foc^  and  frantic  cry  to 
Wendy  Washburn  as  that  woman  with  the  snaky 
green  eyes  and  the  revdver  in  her  hand  i^nde  in- 
solently across  the  room  to  the  other  dow. 

"Try  itrchaUengedCopperhewlKiite.  Tiyft 
—and  the  next  dothet  you  pot  on  won't  come  from 
me;  they'll  come  front  an  tBdertekerf 

"Stop  her!"  I  r^ctted  In  a  fitt|^  at  the  paned 
out  into  the  hall. 

'mat's  the  use?"  quietly  inquired  my  Hem- 
Man.  "Since  they  insist  on  timvelinf  tofether.  why 
not  humor  their  whim?" 

"But  don't  you  see  what  thia  meaair  I  nmewiiat 
shrilly  and  aomewiiat  despentely  demanded. 

"It  meant  ^  their  ^NiiiMgr  can't  pott^  be  at 
bug  at  thqr  tatie^"  wtt  Wemfy  Watbbor^a 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  303 


qniet-toned  ftply,  "for  tev^s  a  eordon  of  pteiA> 
ckythes  mm  about  thii  place  and  not  a  tod  ctn 

tlie  grounds  without  then  knowing  itT 
I  stared  at  him,  wide-eyed  and  wondering. 
"Then  what* s  going  to  happen  to  yokT*  I  de- 
manded. 
Hehui^amtle. 

To  me?"  he  adced.  *To  be  perfectly  frank,  if 
youni  excuse  my  absence,  I  think  Td  better  dip  out 
and  made  sure  those  men  are  on  tiieir  jobs.  For  I 
had  'em  put  there,  and  when  you're  paying  for  a 
thing,  you  know,  it's  ahvays  better  to  get  it  doner 

I  stood  there,  trying  in  vidn  to  marshal  my  taiq^ 
impressions  into  some  sort  of  order. 

"Wait  a  minute,"  I  calkd  out  to  ngr  Hero-Man 
as  he  reached  the  door.  "Did  you  know  there  was 
a  man  coming  out  to  Ais  house  to-day  for  the  par- 
ticular purpose  of  killing  you?" 

"That's  interesting,"  he  acknowledged  with  a 
twinkle  in  his  eye.  "And  it  wouM  be  equally  inter- 
esting, I  imagine,  to  know  his  name." 

"His  name  is  Pinky  McCkwer 

"I  never  heard  of  any  sudi  man  in  all  my  life," 

solemnly  averred. 

"But  you  will,"  I  warned  him. 

"Quite  likely,"  he  acknowledged,  wi&  a  «nil^ 


304     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUB 


"lor  we  seem  to  be  luiviiif  more  vssitort  Uun  wt 
ever  expected !" 

"We  have!"  I  agreed  to  his  vaatahing  faadc*  as  he 
hurried  down  the  diadowy  halhray.  For  I  had  sud- 
denly remembered  about  the  mysterious  woman  in 
the  cream  and  gold  room  up-stairs.  And  I  had  also 
remembered  about  the  peaii-handled  revolver  whkfa 
I  had  kit  up-stairs  under  my  piUow. 


CHAPTER  SEVENTEEN 


IF  for  a  moment  I  wu  wwnytd  hf  an  impnlte  to 
follow  Wendy  WatUmrn  oat  of  ^  Mmeiriiit 
bewtUeriog  house,  I  st  kast  had  the  scnee  not  to 
tuccund)  to  amr  sndi  inuM^e; 

It  was  plain  cnon^  in  ^  fifst  piaee^  tiiat  I 
wasn't  wanted.  In  tiie  second  place,  ft  was  eqoal^ 
plain  that  I  coddn't  be  of  moeh  nse  to  ttat  soma- 
what  conyromisaig  Hero-Man  of  mine.  And  is 
the  third  place,  since  my  sojoiBB  wider  diat  particn- 
hr  roof  carried  every  cvldenoa  of  being  rather  Un»> 
ited,  there  was  a  sitnatioa  or  two  iHudi  I  preferred 
to  investigate  in  person. 

As  I  stood  alone  in  the  nKmiingHPOom,  beside  oar 
HiffwwtrtiMi  breakfuA-table.  I  hesitated  lor  oo^  a 
moment  Then  I  made  for  the  nient  hafiway^ 
slipped  up  the  staks  and  hurried  quickly  to  the 
door  of  the  room  where  I  had  slept.  My  movo> 
mentt,  umkr  the  circumstances,  were  as  mrfsdess  as 
looukimaketiiem.  For  I  had  a  f ew  tiuiqis  to  settib 
m  my  own  mi^  before  parting  c(nnpany  w«^  tiKne 
siliBt  and  shadowy  upper  regions. 

m 


306     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTKIGUE 


Once  I  was  assured  my  own  room  was  empty  and 
would  make  a  convenient  port  of  refuge  in  case  of 
interruption,  I  rescued  my  pearl-handled  revolver 
from  tmder  its  pillow.  Then  I  tiptoed  across  the 
hall  to  the  door  tliat  opened  on  the  cream  and  gold 
room. 

I  fitted  the  key  in  the  lock  and  turned  it  slowly, 
without  making  a  sound.  I  was  equally  careful  in 
turning  the  knob.  Then  I  swung  the  door  back  a 
few  inches.   And  then  I  stood  stock-still. 

For  I  saw  that  my  unknown  sleeper  was  no  longer 
in  the  bed.   And  that  discovery  rather  stumped  me. 

But  even  as  I  stood  there  staring  in  at  the  empty 
bed,  with  its  telltale  tumble  of  white  linen,  a  door  on 
the  far  side  of  the  room  was  slowly  opened.  The 
next  moment  a  woman  stepped  through  it  I  could 
see  her  quite  plainly.  Yet  what  made  me  catch  my 
breath  was  the  discovery  that  this  woman  was  the 
same  white-faced  woman  I  had  seen  in  the  city 
house  with  the  limestone  front. 

I  stood  so  motionless  that  she  failed  to  catch  sight 
of  me.  For  she  hesitated  a  moment,  with  her  eyes 
downcast,  apparently  in  an  attitude  of  listening  for 
something.  And  that  gave  me  a  chance  for  a  more 
leisurely  survey  of  her  figure.  She  was  wearing  a 
peignoir  of  white  corduroy-velvet,  with  swao'sHlowa 


THB  HOUSE  CSf  IMTItlGUB  W. 


at  the  thrott  And  u  ihe  ttood  with  one  hand 
against  the  open  door  ihe  reminded  me  of  a  silver 
birch.  She  was  so  thin,  In  fact,  that  she  looked 
gatmt  About  her  downcast  eyes  was  the  same  ex- 
iwession  of  fixed  melancholy  which  had  so  disturbed 
me  when  I  first  saw  her  staring  down  over  a  stair- 
railing.  This,  together  with  her  hollow  cheeks, 
made  her  seem  pathetic,  pathetic  in  a  way  which  I 
found  it  hard  to  explain.  Yet,  I  noticed,  now  that 
I  had  a  chance  to  study  her  at  my  kimre,  that  her 
hn  was  not  a  dead  white.  There  was  a  touch  of 
yellow  in  it,  just  enough  to  give  it  an  ivory  tone. 

I  stood  there  in  the  doorway,  waiting  to  see  what 
wotdd  happen  next.  I  watched  her  as  she  crossed 
the  room,  lifted  a  brocaded  satin  cand|y-box  from  tibe 
wrkmg-table  and  took  off  the  cover.  I  could  hear 
a  petulant  and  quite  earthly  exdamation  of 
"Pshaw !"  as  she  saw  that  it  was  empty  and  toaaed 
it  back  on  the  table.  And  i^osts,  I  knew,  were  not 
given  to  eating  bon-bom. 

I  ttw  her  turn  and  stare  studiously  about  the 
room,  I  had  im>  intention  of  retreating.  So  it 
was  not  long,  aatarally,  befoie  her  eyes  fell  on  me. 
T^tts  time^  however,  sIk  did  not  vaoudi  into  tins  asr • 
^e  did  not  even  start.  She  tuonfy  stand  at  tut 
ft  pettdas^jf  bawfldcred  aoft  of  wiQf* 


jol.  HOUSS  OF  OiTRIGUB 


"So  you're  here  too?"  she  finally  said.  She  said 
it  in  an  amazingly  matter-of-fact  tone,  more  as 
though  she  were  thinking  al(Hid,  indeed,  than  ad- 
dressing a  stranger. 

"Yes,  I'm  here,"  I  announced,  following  her  cue 
as  to  matter-of-factness,  "and  until  I  find  out  certain 
things,  I  think  I'm  going  to  stay  here !" 

She  merely  stared  at  me  with  her  rebelliously 
reckless  and  mournful  eyes.  Then  she  sank  into  a 
chair  that  stood  beside  her.  She  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing the  movement  an  altogether  listless  one.  It 
seemed  to  signify  that  although  boring  her  I  would 
probably  have  to  be  put  up  with. 

"In  the  first  place,  I  want  to  know  how  you  got 
out  here?"  I  demanded,,  realizing  that  I  had  to  do 
something  more  than  dally  at  the  heels  of  that  lan- 
guid-eyed young  lady  in  the  peignoir. 

She  looked  up  at  me  from  under  her  bent  brows. 
It  was  more  the  look  of  a  spoiled  and  wigrward  diiki 
than  of  a  woman. 

"You're  not  going  to  bs  disagreeaUe  about  all 
this,  too,  are  you?"  she  petulantly  inqinf«4 

"I  only  want  to  know  the  truth,"  was  my  retort^ 
as  I  stood  there^  with  one  hand  stiU  on  the  dioof^ 
knob. 

She  gave  a  sig^  lialf  wearinefi,  half  f^iti 


THE  HOUSB  W  DITR1GII&  90^ 


TMt  wlMl  VA  mm  t»  teow  mftM.  Bat  I 
donft  MHft  aiilt  to  tlral^MilM^ii  Mt  And  I 
tel^  to  tfiiiirr 

to  fasp^  Ask  4h  bid  teen  tavdMtd  fcjr  ^^ift  ^  tiM 

B^nrafJF  M  Mr  OWB  MMillMj^  I  COlBa  N8  wR  Hw 
^vl^Sdt  i^Kf  IHF^l^flB  ^VK^^ttO^T  l^ri^^^M^  ^fetkW^'  ~  Utt^K  *  ^HSft 

*^ot  tiie  teaflf "  dtt  told  me. 

So  X  decided  to  drop  m  ^pwl  Mi  toto  to  cd- 

WW-  ^nwi' to  bwi^i  >  Hwfy  if  " 

"Tben  tbei«-«re  ^bttt  of  sir  d»  ftie%  itih 
Mfved* 

jShp^naBn-BerMMr'  ^jisiBaKy  wBwnwree 
of  w^"  the  amended, lir  at  I  cia  oniBt  oot.**^ 


310     THS  H0U5B  OP  IHTSIGIIB 


"And  how  long  have  you  been  one  of  them?"  I 
inquired.  J  itepped  into  the  room  and  shut  the  doflr 
behind  me.  Then  I  sat  down  facing  iter.  Sfat  wm 
giving  me  a  good  deal  to  think  over. 

"From  the  day  I  was  born,"  she  explained,  with  • 
perverse  enjoyment  in  my  perplexity. 

"Are  you  ever  called  Claire  ?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,  since  it  happens  to  be  my  name." 

"But  Qarissa  Bartlett,  the  real  Clarissa  Bartlett, 
it  supposed  to  be  dead,"  I  tried  to  teU  her. 

"I've  been  as  good  as  dead  for  the  laat  lew 
weeks,"  was  her  somewhat  embittered  answer. 

"But  how  did  you  get  out  here?"  I  iaquind,  goiiy 
back  to  my  first  question. 

"I  got  in  a  car  and  motored  out,"  the  cala^f  cs- 

plained. 

"But  why  did  you  come  here?  Why  dkl  yon 
come  to  this  particular  house?"  I  persisted. 

She  hesitated.  And  ttiU  again  I  i^estod  tli« 
question. 

"I'd  go  anywhere  tc  get  away  from  that  mwM 
house,"  was  her  final  acknowledgment 
"Why  do  you  call  it  awful?" 
Her  reply  was  at  least  a  startling  one. 

"BecauM  Wend^  Waahbum  made  k  that  war  Ibr 

mer 


THE  HOUSE  OP  IMTRIGUB  311 

It  took  nt  Mvtna  Meoodt  to  m&fy  aqntU 
•ffOMtthtihodcoftiiii. 

nim  yea  Imm  Wcndbr  WiHUmiiir  X  at 
cafanfyMlooidd. 

Tm  at  toMt  btgitw^nf  to  find  him  oot,"  4w  ff 
plied.  And  ilill  aga'    hara  waa  an  witiriitalwMt 

BOia  OI  WW  1 1  WW  ID  liCr  Twmw* 

*Tiiid  Um  ont  ill  wiat  wayr  I  iaaialad. 

Tba  gill  Aillad  fai  ter  dyiir. 

•nniat  iMfa  fvafyddqf  Aafa  AouSumr  wm 

''Why  dQ  yaa  aay  ttatr  I  mat  ob>  daHrmliwd  to 
ipafca  hiy  white  ^a  swi  ihoHOi 

''Bacaan  Wa  cnid  aad  dieaillHl,  aa  yeoV  vaiy 
BOOB  find  011^  if  yott  haven't  dona  it  ateead^*" 

'Then  yov— yoa  kaoir  titt  aoft  of  wocfc  hi^a  haott 
tairing  v^Y*  I  fantufed* 

''Yci^  I  knovr  i^-^  iny  aomwr 
im  uHk  aoflMwnafa  ax  na  lar  ana  ox  a  muk  ana 
witraTened  taanel  I  waa  at  teit  aaebg  n  littte 

"And  Eara  and  Enodi  Bartiett,"  I  contlnncid,  "are 
they  yoar  aBdea?" 

1  anppoae  wo,"  die  Hitkidy  adnNlad. 

Tou  8tti^K»e  aor  J  r^aatad.  Don't  you 

"I  nev^r  diOQi^it  Bwifh  ahwit  it*" 


312     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"But  why  shook!  your  own  Hades  think  ym  were 
dead,  when  you  seem  to  he  so  very  nnsch  altve?^ 

'1  think  I  wotdd  be  dead,  if  a  few  of  tfiose  people 
had  their  own  way  about  itr  was  her  morose  com- 
ment on  that  question  of 

"And  you  indude  Wendy  Washburn  in  that 
drderi  asked. 

"He's  worse  than  any  of  the  rest  of  themf*  was 
her  spirited  retort 

Is  he— in  any  way  rebted  to  your  I  inqmnd, 
I'cmemberii^  certain  tilings. 

"In  more  ways  than  one,  unfortunately." 

"But  howr  I  persisted. 

"He  h^peas  to  be  my  eousin,  in  tiie  first  place." 
thb  gave  me  still  a  second  shock  to  digest 
"Go  on."  I  pron^pted. 

"And  wbm  mother  died  in  Florence,  three  years 
ago,  he  was  made  my  gnardian-at-law." 

"Wendy  Washburn  wasr**  I  incredukMisIy  de- 
manded. 

"It  does  seem  abswd,  doesn't  itr  said  the  morose, 
cyedgirt   "Birt  if s  true." 

"And  you  know,  you  even  admowledge,  that  he's 
die  worst  of  the  lot?" 

'^oo'd  agree  with  me,  if  you  knew  him  as  I  do^ 
was  her  retort. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  313 


"Why  do  you  sa"  that?** 

"Became  he's  tiying  to  keep  me  from  marryinf 
the  man  I  love  '  v;as  the  r<  ply  that  came  from  tha 
smddering-eye  I       if  white. 

I  sat  bade  and  let  diis  sink  in.  It  was  a  case  of 
thfee  strikes  and  out  It  was  a  new  twist  to  the 
tangle  that  left  me  more  perplexed  than  ever.  I 
began  to  feel  like  a  blue4wtUe  fly  in  the  web  of  a 
warrior*spider. 

"But  why  should  he  do  that?"  I  weakly  inquired. 

"Because  he's  thinking  of  only  his  own  selfish 
ends/'  was  ^  other's  answer. 

'•Whatendsr 

The  girl  looked     at  mes. 

"Yott  don't  seem  to  know  my  family,"  she  ejacu- 
lated. There  was  on  this  occasion  both  pride  and 
scorn  hKoograoiidy  nmced  together  m  her  tone. 

"A»  fur  as  I  uuderHand  it,"  was  my  dignified 
re^y,  *T  b^eve  the  Bartlett  estate  is  vahied  U  aboot 

seven  miSfoa  doQars." 

''My  estater  coneded  the  moo^ftyta  yooBf 
woman  cuufruuUng  me. 

"And  yon  mcen  to  this  man  is  trying  to  vab 
you  of      esU^r  I  demanded. 

*lt's  wofic  tiH»        iiras  ^  ote's  n^. 

That  hint  of  tfitQgs  too  duic  to  be  vnnttfMApM 


314     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


me  a  vague  sinking  feeling  in  the  region  where  I  had 
so  recently  pinned  Wendy  Washburn's  buiu:h  of  vio- 
lets. 

**You  don't  mean  he's— he's  trying  to  make  you 
marry  him?"  I  asked,  with  a  sort  of  in-this-way- 
madness-iies  clutch  at  my  bosom. 

That  morose-eyed  young  woman  sat  stud)ring  my 
face  for  a  moment  or  two.  The  incredulity  which 
she  must  have  beheld  on  it  seemed  to  do  away  with 
her  hesitation. 

**Yes,"  she  finally  admitted. 

I  don't  know  whether  I  had  really  expected  that 
or  not,  but  when  it  came  it  made  me  blink  a  little, 
the  same  as  you  blink  when  a  forty-candle  power 
bulb  is  suddenly  turned  on  in  front  of  you.  Then, 
thin  and  sweet,  above  all  the  tumult  of  the  discov- 
eries that  were  roaring  like  machinery  about  my 
dusty  brain,  a  voice  of  relief  kept  repeating  that 
Wendy  Washburn  was  still  an  unmarried  man,  kept 
repeating  it  insistently,  foolishly,  like  a  Kmg-tpar- 
row  on  the  eaves  of  a  bitsy  cotton-mill. 

"And  everything  that's  been  happening  in  that 
awful  house  in  town,"  I  limply  inquti«d,  **has  all 
that  happened  just  because  of  this?" 

"Wendy."  die  declared,  "was  at  the  bottom  of 
everything!" 


THE  HCHJSE  OF  INTRIGUE  3iS 


"But  what  good  is  it  doing  him?"  I  asked,  won- 
dering what  moment  the  subject  of  our  talk  might 
step  up  into  that  room  in  person  and  add  to  my  per- 
plexities. 

"No  good  whatever,"  declared  my  stubborn-eyed 
young  friend,  "for  he'll  never,  never,  be  aUe  to  do 
what  he  intends  to  do !" 

"Of  course  he  won't,"  I  concurred.  "But  tell 
me  about  this  other  man,  the  man  yon  want  to 
marry." 

"He's  everydiing  that  is  brave  and  strong  T' 

"They  always  are,"  I  promptly  agreed.  "But  tell 
me  something  xaoxt  definite.  Where  it  he?  And 
what  is  he?" 

I  could  see  a  smile  of  disdain  on  her  moo^  young 
1^  at  &at  ^ctical  American  qneatkm,  as  she  sat 
there,  apparently  weighing  in  her  own  mind  what 
dw  oa^t  to  tell  me  and  what  she  ought  to  keep  to 
hertdf.  I  sodteily  remembered  the  unwelcome 
vttto  wko  had  forced  his  way  into  the  room  of  the 
lour-forter.  And  the  poMifatlity  of  tlit  coiticidwioe 
afanott  took  nqr  hraHh  awiqr. 

"That  yooBf  man's  name  doctt^t  hKffm  to  bt 
IfeQoM^  flota  it?^  I  lAtHi 

"No^"  WM  ti»  gtrft 

Thtt  what  k  itr 


316     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


"It's  O'Toole— Michael  aTooIe,"  she  admitted. 
But  the  adminion  MOQed  to  cost  her  an  tRott  H 
was  idainly  not  an  easy  name  to  say. 

I  c<)tild  place  no  Michad  OToole,  I  fdt  mat, 
among  the  starry  names  that  dented  tl^  Social  Reg* 
ister  which  Bud  and  I  had  once  so  carefulfy  studied. 
But  I  kept  my  nose  to  the  ground,  lUce  a  beagle  after 
a  cotton-tail. 

"That's  a  grand  old  Irish  nan»— OToole,"  I  ai£ 
mitted. 

"Yes,"  agreed  the  girL  "One  of  his  mceston 
was  a  king  in  Irdand,  he  told  me." 

''There  must  have  been  an  awfid  bunch  of  kings 
in  Uiat  country  at  one  time,  if  all  I  hear  is  true^"  I 
remarked. 

"Mkdiael  is  as  modi  a  king  as  any  of  them,**  ^ 
proudly  protested. 

They-^hey  don't  ever  call  hkn  Mike,  do  thcyr 
I  had  the  inqKrtinenee  to  inquire.  F(»' I  was  bc|p»- 
nmg  to  realize  that  this  pathetk  little  cabmet-pleGe, 
whom  I'd  thought  of  as  a  Dresden  duna  nurky^ 
housed  tq»  from  all  the  ways  of  Hm  world,  was  not 
without  a  mind  of  her  own. 

''Yes,  I  think  they  dot  Bat  whit  iteit  itf  was 
the  reply  from  n^  suddenly  suUcn-^red  a^afjoniat 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  317 


There  was  revolt,  black  revolt,  in  her  smoldering 
tyts  as  she  put  the  question  to  me. 

"There's  nothing  about  it,  I  suppose,  if  you  can 
only  get  used  to  the  prospect  of  some  day  being 
called  Mrs.  Mike!" 

Her  face  colored  with  a  flush  of  anger. 

"That  sounds  as  contemptible  as  some  of  the 
thmgs  Wendy  Washburn  said."  she  announced  with 
considerable  heat. 

"Such  as?"  I  prompted. 

"That  he'd  break  his  neck  the  first  time  he  tried 
to  walk  across  a  waxed  floor !  And  that  he'd  prob- 
ably have  to  be  taught  the  difference  between  a^ara.* 
gus-tongs  and  an  oyster  fork  I" 

I  realized  that  I  was  beginning  to  find  out  things 
about  Michael  O'Toole.  And  they  were  throwing 
not  a  little  light  on  the  problem  confronting  me. 

'^ut  surely  the  man's  not  a  boikr-maker?"  I  in- 
quired. 

"Of  cottrse  he's  not  1"  was  the  indignant  responae. 
"Then  what  is  he?" 

The  heavy  look  went  out  of  her  thin  young  face. 

"It  doesn't  matter  with  me  what  he  is.  All  I 
know  is  that  last  mmmtr  afc  Long  Beach  he  imd 
my  lifeP* 


318     THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRIGUE 


"At  Long  Beach  ?"  I  said,  with  a  gulp.  For  light- 
ning, after  all,  was  again  striking  twioe  in  the  same 
place. 

**Yes;  he  swam  out  and  saved  me,  at  the  risk  of 
his  own  lifel"  was  the  rqply  that  rapt-eyed  yoong 
woman  made  to  me. 

"But  surely  he  doesn't  make  a  profes^m  of  that 
•ort  of  thing?"  I  calmly  inquired. 

"Oh,  yes,  he  doesl"  the  gurl  just  ai  cahnly  re- 
torted. 

"How  do  yon  mean?"  I  weakly  inquired. 

"He's  a  life  guard  at  the  beach  there.  And  from 
tiienKmient  I  felt  him  take  me  in  his  arms,  and  carry 
me  up  to  the  hotel,  I  knew  that  I  could  never  love 
anyfao<fy  but  him!  I  knew  it  from  the  fintl  And 
motkmg  tviU  tver  charngt  mtf 


CHAPTER  EIGHTEEN 


1SAT  staring  at  the  giri  wHh  flie  twnrs-dowil 
about  her  fwany  young  nedc  SheMenedto 
fed  that  I  ought  to  wgttit  wiA  her.  But  ft  mmtt 
ewjy  forme  to  go  on.  For  I  knew,  bow,  Alt  Pialqr 
McOooe,  the  con-man  and  eMver  fiam,  and 
Michael  OTode^  the  retcuer  ol  pui-leadier  heir- 
esses, were  one  and  the  tame  penon. 

"And  you,"  I  finaUy  Tenturei^  seemed  to  led 
that  you  owed  htm  ^alf 

It  began  to  dawn  on  me  iStmt  tidi  kmi^flniflied 
young  lady  was  not  altogether  sony  to  entminief  » 
sympathetic  listener. 

"He  deserves  itr  Ae  said  wiA  decisioo.  "He 
did  a  noble  thing.  He  dd  Ae  only  big  Aa| 
ever  happened  in  all  my  Hie.  He  ^  emythinf, 
risked  everything,  to  save  my  Hfe.  And  I  knew 
that  I  ought  to  be  ready  to  risk  ewrythmg  to  naSm 
him  happy!** 

I  looked  at  that  young  girl  in  white,  wiA 
swan's-down  about  her  nedc,  and  I 
much  of  her  poor  little  hodiouse  life  nmst  I 

319 


320     THE  HOUSE  OP  IKTRIGUE 


spent  behind  glass,  how  the  glass  of  limettoiie  man- 
sions, and  well-wanned  landaulets,  and  softly-cush- 
ioned limousines,  must  have  sheltered  her  and  shut 
heroff  from  theroughening  and  strengthening  winds 
of  the  world.  And  as  I  thought  of  her  and  her 
Michael  I  couldn't  keep  a  wave  of  pity  for  poor 
Wendy  Washburn  from  sweeping  through  me. 

"And  Mike — I  mean  Michael,"  I  said,  perhaps 
with  malice  aforethought,  "how  does  he  fed  about 
it?" 

"If  he  loves  me,  it's  only  for  me,  myself.  It's  for 
my  own  sake.   It's  not  for  what  I  may  have !" 

That,  I  remembered,  didn't  altogether  sound  like 
Pinky  McQone.  Pinky,  plainly,  was  playing  for 
big  stakes,  and  the  worldly-wise  Wendy  Washburn, 
it  was  plain,  was  not  altc^^ther  ignorant  of  that 
fact. 

"He  risked  his  life  for  me,"  my  emotional  youn^ 
companion  was  reiterating.  "And  that's  more  thm 
those  namby-pamby  chocolate-fudge  men  I've  al> 
ways  known  would  ever  do !  It's  more  than  those 
milk-and-water  dinner-dance  boys  who  can  only  talk 
about  musical-comedy  stars  would  tvr  do  1" 

I  was  beginning  to  see  a  little  more  lif^soanadi 
more  Ii|H  m  fact,  that  it  btoa^  on  a  teotei^ 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  321 


"And  Mlchicl,  I  n^poM^  it  bi|^  nd  ttpfff^'  t&d 
bfonndy  fikc  ft  &cdc  god?" 

"Ytty  Wk  ft  Gntk  {^odr*  Ac  fl|ipndsthw*€y6d 
yxxaig  cniottofMilirt  bcfofe  mc  ptoaytly  agreed*  And 
I  tiegen  to  fee  how  impoiiible  ft  was  going  to  be  to 
throw  the  Gold  white  ls|^  of  truth  acroM  that  weU- 
sw^pt  altaf<-floiie  of  wdonldoo* 

"And  I  st^poee  in  his  off-^eaaon  he  doea  aooe- 
tiung?  When  tlie  weather  is  oolder  and  he'a  not  isv^ 
ing  Uvea,  I  mean?" 

Our  eytB  net  Bat  her  hot  remained  quite  leri- 
oua. 

"He  it  ft  pattern-maker^  I  believe^"  dw  had  the 
courage  to  acknowledge. 
I  thou|^  tfna  over* 

"Then  JOB  hatenTf  seen  mudi  of  him?"  I  ven- 
tured. 

"They  haven't  kt  me*  ThiQ^ve  even  k^pt  me  a 
priaoner«  against  my  wiH" 

"Thaf  a  tiie  w^  most  prisonera  ate  kept,  I  imag- 
ine. Botwhodothex*  happen  to  be?" 

"Wendjr  Waahbnm,"  was  the  girf  s  answer. 

"Bat  what  gave  hhn  the  right  to  go  to  extremea 

sHB  wBmPT^  ft-  paiHlllgr  nii|mrBCL 

"He  took  advantage  of  the  fact  that  he  happened 
to  be  my  guardian.  He  claimed  the  law  gave  him 


322      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


the  poirer  to  keq^  me  from  nakinf  a  fool  of  mf- 
idfr 

*^tit  diere^t  no  law  to  ghre  him  the  ri|^t  to  keep 
yon  A  prisoaeTf  ittheier 

'X)!  ootmenoti  He  merely  took  »  ead'i  advan- 
tage of  aomediiiif  I  taid  in  a  fit  of  temper." 

"What  waa  that?" 

She  forced  her  glance  to  meet  mine. 

'1  aaid  Fd  hum  the  honae  down,  imleaa  I  waa 
aUowed  to  do  certain  thingi!" 

"Yon  merely  laid  this?" 

The  gi  lesitated. 

"Wdl,  I  may  have  hccn  hcen  eaoeited  enooi^  to 
make  him  believe  I  was  going  to  do  it  Bntldidn't 
intend  to  be  fauQied." 

laeet  T!.enyoarconnn^eafty  doesn't  improve 
of  Midiaeir 

He  doesi^t  onderstand  hinL  He  doesn't  even 
make  an  tSoxt  to  miderstand  him.  He  keqia  aay- 
hug  over  and  over  i^iain  that  IfiAad  »  oefy  an 
adventurer  trying  to  impoae  on  my  ignorance." 

I  knew  it  woidd  pay  me  t»  he  «  pilHft  at  I  eaold. 
But  it  wasn't  ca^. 

**Haa  Mike  ever  given  him  any  canse  to  say 
tiiat?"  l  inqnked. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  323 


'^oaM  ytm  mind  csDinf  him  mAaO,  pl«Mr 


fB^pMNto  iBt  iinmiy  mnniMim  jMutg  flnran  cob* 
frantiiig  me.  Ho^  it  wai  all  btitd  on  aotiiiBf  bnt 
bfiad  prejiidiot.  Aad  whoi  I  atv  lie  wm  aifc  on 
keeping  w  epMt»  I  decidted  to  fel  ew  li)^  lUurfiBi^ 
nqpidl  And  it  wuB't  mqrr 


'*Bat  did  it  meoeedr 

'It  didn't  Mem  to.  So  I  tlireatened  to  naks  n 
willf  lad  iesve  evcf  j>Uifai|f  I  owned  to  Midnd*  end 
then  IdH  nqradl.  That  made  Wea^  penoede  even 
otar  eld  iamily  kwyer  to  go  agaimt  me." 

Theobald  Scrippe?"  I  asked. 

The  g[irl  shook  her  head.  The  iwwp>  appucn^r* 
waa  naknovni  to  her.  The  ewoc '  of  die  pen&doisa 
Adam'fl-m^  was  plainly  a  ndbetstme. 

'^e  did  mMe  tiom  ^km^**Ait  eontinned,  as  Ihoogfa 
inteirt  on  easing  her  sool  of  the  in|iistloes  vhldi  had 
been  raakSnf  within  It  lor  so  long,  'lit  ai^  iie^d 

 --  -  -    t— .  . ,  ^-^  ?   T  A,^f  ^   *-  — 

right  to  be  my  guardian.  Hesudhe^apedlwooUi 


Ibrhewassickofthejob.  Sol  took  him  at  hia 
word,  and  he  ooiddn't  get  me  another  any  loo 
soon.  Then  he  fooad  out  father  had  left  two  half- 
brothsi  rd  never  even  heurd  <^  vAo'd  jvaaaip  at 
the  chance.  Mother,  yon  see»  had  nevmr  let  me  have 


324     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


thfiw  ** 

'yftUr  I  iatemvtod.  'nVto  it  Ankr  For  * 

^flfy^  llfftS  too  ffHpffrtBMrt  p^j^^^^li^^i 

The  giri  lani^ied.  It  waf  »  cowtralncd  lani^ 
a  toadi  of  bittemeti.  It  itminded  me  of  « 
Icmoti-dfop. 

That's  my  keeper— Alicia  Ledwidfe.  She  really 
wesrted  to  do  everything  she  could  for  me.  Sht  die- 

€81116  to  tibft  boisic*^ 
•my?"  I  aaked. 

"She  f  oond  out,  in  tone  way,  that  they  were  going 
to  have  me  make  a  wHI  in  their  favw.  I  think  ihe 
was  afrakl  they  mi  he  able  to  permade  me  to  do 
aomething  like  that  So  the  tokl  ten,  at  fint,  tint 
I  was  too  ill  to  be  teen.  Then  tiicy  broai^  in  aa 
odxNis  fat-laoed  doctor  of  theff  own*  That  iwiiiff 
k  harder  tium  ever  for  AUie.  But  we  had  a  house- 
maid wiio  was  very  in— ^tfi  Bri|^s  disease,  I 
^ink  it  was.  So,  nbtil  could  do  something,  AlUe 
decided  to  p[o.  this  maid  off  asms  r 

**Ab  yonV*  I  echoed. 

The  girl  nodded.  Then  she  went  on  again. 
"But  the  poor  tiling  got  worse,  and  some  time 


TH£  HOC7SB  07  WTKaGM  M 


itrly  last  night  the  died.  I  wMn't  allowed  to  show 
mywlf,  bat  I  suppose  that's  what  all  the  row  was 
about.  They'd  been  keeping  me  locked  in,  yo«  see. 
.  But  when  tmy  one  cite  waa  so  busy,  and  the  whole 
home  seemed  to  hsve  fooe  crazy.  I  saw  my  chaflcc 
to  get  away  and  send  a  message  to  Michael  1" 

•TTien  it  was  you  who  took  Wen^  Washhwm'a 
car?"  I  Qchimed. 

*lt  was  standing  there  when  I  slipped  out  of  the 
hoiiie.  And  the  only  thing  that  w--ricd  mc  waa 
that  I  wasn't  able  to  fHaqr^^**'  iithcw^ 
safer 

"What  tiiingir  I  Remanded. 

*Td  sent  word  to  my  bankers  to  send  up  certain 
secttritiea  of  mbe  whkh  I  knew  they  held.  Then 
I  had  the  safety-depeikfaople  send  up  all  the  family 
jewelry.  When  Ai»  cwic  hack  they  w«pe  afl  pot 

hi  the  wafi-tt^e." 

whit  Hi  yon  ktend  doing  with  tfaeae  securi- 
ties and  tlna  jew^r  I  asked.  She  seemed  to  bt 
contented^  pBRiaf  «t  the  thooi^  her  own  rare 
iogenm^.  Bnt,  msder  the  drcumaimwe^  I  couldn't 
aermy  way  dear  to  sharing  in  that  purr. 

•I  kneip  Mkinil  Hid  I  noiiki  tmA  thvnr  ate 
Mid      teiMoet  riiiplliity. 

Ildl»nt 


m    THE  noum  of  nrnaGUE 


maA  more  than  either  8tock<ertificate8  or  jewdsy 
was  a  good  spulrinf  ■  But  ]i  irat  doued  the  Ituouy 
of  telling  her  so. 

"Need  them  where?"  I  inquired,  forcing  n^self 
to  a  quietneie  of  tone  I  fotmd  hard  to  cmntnandi 

"When  we  ran  away." 

Her  face  was  quite  •eriont  when  she  said  this. 
She  even  glanced  over  at  me  a  little  pityingly,  as 
though  I  had  pfored  rather  denser  than  she  had 

hoped  for. 

"But  why  dkl  you  hide  those  Hhiag/t  away  m  a 
waU-safe?" 

''To  keep  Wendy  from  knowing!"  was  her  listksa 
answer. 

Trom  knowmg  what?" 

"TbA  llidiael  and  I  are  gcnng  to  rm  away  T 

"Ate  yon?"  I  adced,  as  sober  as  a  judge. 

liidiael  is  condi^  oat  hefe  for  mt  tUs  afta>» 
noon*"  she  aanonnoed. 

*WHit  Ibrr  I  asked. 

Toauny  mer  she  cooBy  nrphinfd. 

To  marry  yoo,  of  eoontt"  I  neditativelf  re- 
wsacwii*  X  uMQ  «o  appeiM  as  vBooiiBsnWB  as  oossft* 
'tis  as  I  got  iron  my  ^bair*  "Thtn  it  inltiv 
est  you,"  I  ^netiy  HigipiJiitiil,      know  jut  idMh 


THE  HOUSE  OF  IMTRIGUB  329! 

'TTot  Midiaeir  demanded,  with  a  quick 
dood  of  dtstnist  on  lier  wilful  young  brow. 

-Ho»  it  was  tiw  man  that  your  Michael  kof 
fromMiokmr  I  ictorttd. 

She  didn't  teem  to  understand  me. 

'*Birt  you're  ^  so  mistaken  about  Michael,"  she 
CTiiqtfak»**«  He  isn't  that  type  of  man.  He's 
nobler  than  tfiit  H«  doesn't  take  lives;  he  saiet 
diemf 

I  stand  ^  her,  mddenfy  realizing  the  gulf  that 
yawned  between  us.  There  was,  I  felt,  no  bridge  of 
human  Uttderstandhig  tint  oonld  even  span  that  gulf. 
To  argne  ^  her  woold  be  too  modi  like  trying  to 

powwow 

with  the  i^anet  Mars. 

I  walnned  to  the  iMt  ^  I  was  wasting  time 
w^  a  nioo»etrnck  li^fiMf  when  ^  ontside  ^oie 
waOs  of  cream  md  gold  Ae  slem  lenKties  of  an 
iBKORunoi^  Hem  wofld  were  waithig  for  me. 
Chrissa  Rhindandcr  Bai^  I  saw,  was  in  for  ft 
joHortwa  Bol teoie one cise^  I  wndd have 
to  &oe  the  probkm  of  opcnkig  that  young  IMy't 
eyes.  I  had  no  inlendon  <^  ruffing  her  twaaf** 
down.  IldtleonnebaBelteBrasi^  baiwhn 
the  first  cannons  of  Watatko  started  to  boon,  to 
^  ai^  longer  in  timt  dwv. 

fmm  «•  yon  goipg  to  4or JwwiBiiitlioi^ 


dSA     THE  HOUSE  OF  mTBlGOS, 


as  I  got  to  my  feet  She  must  have  noticed  some 
sudden  change  in  my  face,  for  her  eyes  widened 
with  wonder. 

"I'm  going  to  get  out  of  this  house  I"  I  told  her 

with  decision. 

"But  there  are  so  many  questions  I've  got  to  ask 
your  demurred  that  wide-eyed  young  woman. 
I  had,  however,  already  crossed  to  the  door. 
"I'm  sorry,"  I  said,  "but  it'-  too  late!" 

"Waitr  she  cried,  as  I  stood  with  my  hand  on  the 
knob. 

"Well?"  I  asked,  as  she  hesitated. 
A  hungry  look  had  come  into  her  large  and  f%t4- 
owy  eyes. 

"Would— would  yo^  mind  sendmg  me  up  a  five- 
pound  box  of  Page  and  Shaw  from  the  villace,  at 
you  go?"  she  rather  anxiously  inquiied. 

That  strange  request  brought  ma  tip  Otott  I 
stared  back  at  her,  with  a  veiy  ti^erior  smile  of 
scorn  on  my  lips.  Here  was  a  woman,  I  told  myidl, 
whose  soul  was  so  small  it  couWn't  rise  above  a 
chocolate  bon-bon.  Here  was  one  of  your  IwHweta 
flowers  who'd  always  been  sumwaded  bf  tiioee  toft 
airs  of  splendor  after  which  my  own  loofidi  yom^ 
heart  had  yearned— and  this  was  ^  hmk  k  «TTfM 
alldo  forlierl  Shtntbir|itii4wilW  mm 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  32R 


lOQitd  dm  H  me  1^  tbit  qocndons  coiidesce»> 
iioii  ivlBdi  ma^  Ite  ntajMUooid  Kiiq;Xaiafkl 

ngged-MOtd  tHeel-wail  fiuil  hM  lad  to  icttrry 
dbent  tiie  world  for  it»  di^  booet.  Bull  ln«w 
m  I  toiew  i^idi  Inad  wottid  Mh#  to  toil  a 
cnitt,  and  1^1^  one  would  hesve  a  bride  Ilmw 
hoirtostvtiBjrprKioaiTOiiiiciKdc  Bufcabootall 
your  ^if-^ntet  eo^  do  was  ivl^aptr  lor  s 
softer  cMfakm  and  a^  piattar  of  fed^'jiped  ^oeo- 
lateti  AadfortiieMtiiBelan^KlaXadiP^iM 
sorry  that  I'd  been  bom  fiida  baiter  Hm  a  iMl^ 
wail. 

••Afl  ri^r  laaidabfyagreadaa  I  awoBg^dpor 
siiiit  behind  ne.  Andlevcnooatkaadtolednrthar 
eoperioras  I  want  fide^  down  tfia  broad  Haiti  and 
strode  deteni&ia%  on  teon^i  tfie  atot  ha&ira^ 

I  tried  to  coiivte  nqrt^  Aitt  I  ivta  *^ 
fof  ease.  I  cvw  stopped  to  bt^ttoa  my  f^em,  w^ 
A  diow  of  ddfteratioa. 

Then  I  want  on  again.  Andtelftoppadloratt 
altogether  ^ffereoi  mason. 

I  stopped  beauna  a  afaadow  bad  lite  mnm  i^ 
curtained  door  thai  ilood  balwaan  Ma  and  4m  oirtar 
world.  The  afternoon  nn^ffat  made  tWs  ihadiyr 
quite  distinct,  and  for  a  asaaaMtl  pnipaQlad  HMt 


330     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Wendy  Wtafabum  was  quietly  retniniag  to  tlio 
moRinig^txMn  mbatt  he  had  so  abruptly  left  me. 

I  deckled  to  make  Mire  of  tlos,  however,  befote 
openhig  that  door,  far  a  laldi4c^  was  already 
f umUing  in  the  lode  So  as  the  shadow  bent  lower 
I  s^iiirted  out  throi^^  lint  drawn^woric  hem  of  die 
ctirtaiiL 

I  saw  ther^  not  the  spare  figure  of  my  Iforo-Man, 
twit  a  mtidi  lustier  figure  hi  a  diedced  tweed  suit* 
This  figure,  I  furdier  saw,  now  wore  a  fawn-colored 
neditie  with  a  gold  hme-dioe  in  its  folds,  and  a 
teand-new  fawa-ot^ored  Fedora  hat,  to  say  nothing 
of  sulphur-colored  gloves  with  blade  stitching.  The 
fMe  tiiat  bent  down  so  dose  to  ^  door,  I  further 
saw,  was  shaved  dose,  with  a  distinct  pink  and  cop- 
per tone  diowing  through  a  generous  brushing  of 
talcum  powder.  And  then  I  understood. 

It  was  Michael  O'Toole,  got  up  regardless,  come 
to  carry  off  his  true  love  in  swan's-down.  It  was 
my  old  friend  Mike,  alias  Pinky  McClone,  ventur- 
ing forth  to  do  away  with  one  Wendy  Washburn 
whom,  doubtless,  he  had  as  yet  failed  to  meet,  judg^ 
ing  from  the  immaculate  condition  of  his  apparel 
and  the  somewhat  irate  expression  of  his  face.  For 
the  sk<"leton-blank  with  which  Pinky  was  so  busily 
tiying  to  open  that  door  was  not  behaving  rf*  it 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTEIGOE 

ooghttoMm  MAiomk»mKtiMi^woaid 
oootiBW  in  liHit  &ie  of  ooadnet.  I  fn«ar 
over  aad  Mtitf  ^odnd  At  door  wHk  it»  uk^ 
audi.  Yekbtlondpiiigtolliadt^fiiM  dowB* 
itrong  impolae  to  do jiirt  tl«  o|iporite  tKnfr  «ad  «wo 

MHit  Pial^  ia  Ids  sBidt  caMiGe  wlo  M  hoem. 

For  one  nomH,  itt  ^  I  mt  PW^T  ^ 
•Up  bade  ^  Isleli  •ad  dads  lor  00^,  kraf  Pndqr 

ffw  to  ilip  iaio  Ae  pr««BC6  of  Wi  1MH«»« 
Aat  MtftoTMa  itlOitm  ol  hit  do  to  woiit.  Botliit 
was  drivta  oat  of  aqr  Iwad  ty  ay  imldi  wly  «tcb» 
ing  sight  of  a  ii^Fer  ol 


defiaed  bump  jual  abow  Ridqr'a  left 
Had  I  heea  leaa  iaieteited  ia  ^  hoBi^  ifid  la 

its  origin  I  suppose.  Piafcy  ysmM  would  awi«f 
have  caught  si^  of  me.  BntWkkftmMtm 

tening  his  aoae  ac^  die 
die  other  aide  of  tha  door  and  ai  daarfy 
that  I  once  more  ligr  al  die  root  ^  to  tifiahltt. 

He  acted  widi  both  despaldi  and  dslatmluaUoB. 
In  other  wotds,  he  sadde^  bad«d  off  aad -Anrf- 
dcred"  that  door  d»  same  »  a  pateolmaa  i 

open  a  flat^door  whca  ha  tadi 
throu^  its  cfMlii.  Than  ama 
two  hundred  pooads  olhrami  bebtad  that  bull  1*i 
charge,  for  the  lodi-bar  t>tiiilaiad  avnf  tha 


332     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


irark,  with  a  cfuh.  aad  tlie  lifalged  ftwne  set 
1^  two^  back  and  kft  me  •taring  at  Pinky  the 
aarae  as  a  imall  boy's  gninea-pig  in  a  dgaHxnc 

•tares  at  its  owner        he  siidde^  lifts  the  ltd. . 

But  Pinky  was  in  no  mood  for  mere  coaumpttf 
tioo.  There  was  both  hate  and  rage,  the  blind 
WMfWWBing  mge  of  the  Cdt,  on  his  ntsset-jowled 
fsce  as  he  stood  there,  breathing  hard  and  spasmodi- 
cally opening  and  ctesing  the  brawny  fingers  encased 
in  the  snlphor-cotored  gloves. 

"So  if  s  yoor  he  laid,  with  a  swear-word  ahnost 
as  mlphary  as  hk  ^oves  ^lemsdvis. 

I  could  see  his  face  twHx^  and  an  iitm  look  of 
cmdty  narrow  his  pale  bhie  eyes  to  ahnost  a  pin- 
yohit  My  proph^  bones  told  me  wbat  was  com- 
iog,  as  plainly  as  though  he  had  told  it  to  me  in  so 
mtiqr  words.  I  coukl  see  Hnt  blind  fury  that  was 
fitiiering  for  the  final  eruption.  And  I  knew  there 
was  no  use  m  arguing  about  it,  just  as  I  knew  it  was 
too  late  to  try  to  eKape.  There  wasn't  even  time,  I 
remembered,  to  get  the  pearl-handled  Colt  out  of  its 
hiding^-piaee. 

'•Sq  ifs  yott-rtiH  at  it  r  he  repeated,  with  his 
aostfiis  Elated  Wkt  a  running-horse's  and  a  tremor 
shdchig  the  brawny  huBe  of  his  body. 

•You  coward  r*  I  gasped,  in  little  more  ti'?*!  a 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  3» 


^Hiitper,  for  I  Imew  liy  ti^  time  tfHil  oqr  vocdt 

would  bt  f tw. 

His  hand  shot  oat  and  caai^  lae  by  the  throat 
H«  hdd  me  Hmt,  mulbathsSiy,  mnlj,  ^  Mme  as 
amafketiiHnhoMtacfaidMntigrtiiagimet  F^M 
at  that  grip  was,  Md  terrified  aa  I  flood,  it  did  oot 
kaep  ne  {rem  hewiof  ^  dirin  oA  of  a  Toioe  Iratt 

tin  itaimy  bddad  om. 

"Midmdf  ioanded  tfnt  cdl  of  liotrer,  of  war»< 
sag,  of  imiittetdilo  wW^.  Aad  I  kacw  M  il 
was  the  girl  in  the  flwan'»4oiiit  who  vat  ipciWnf 

Her  Midiad.  howerar.  waa  iatem  Oft  oAer  Aiaffc 
That  can  was  repe^  tana  with  a  Umwio  oi 
TCsetttneBt^oiaigiiit  Bmidl  IfidM^a tim#la 
wers  centered  on  one  movement  I  hnaw  wtei  Aal 
movement  was  gdng  to  be,  yet  I  had  no  wmy  of 
stopping  it  no  way  of  even  eountering  it  For  in 
that  movement  I  could  tee,  h«  intended  to  pay  hack 

more  than  one  old  soofe.  It  waa  looTa  way  of 
doing  it,  hut  it  was  the  oidy  way  be  saw  open  to  htat 
And  it  wasn't  fear  tfat  made  me  wince  aa  I  saw  lit 
sulphur-covered  hand  raddenly  draw  fato  one 
compact  dump,  it  was  more  the  tbooglfaft  of  lha 
absitfdity  of  tite  flmoHnt  and  ^  ainoit  ftMa 
and  harcbcaiBad  blhtdaeaa  of  Ibt  mtt  bMid 
movement 


134     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Tim  I  HI  I  lit  dNit  fljr  cjFCSk  ^ot  I  Ihmw  iHwl 
wss  ^^otHiny,  TIm  iNxt  momcot  tint  iMTHlri  nidlflk 

intiw  face.  It  did  not  kart,  fortbe  world  wftA  ttid- 
black  aboiit  nK  and  I  wanwd  to  nnftinf; 
gcntljr  dowBward  at  As  wumt  ttme  tibat  lAout  # 
tiMomid  f<altwr4idci  actmiBd  to  tia  <iiipiii<t 
alioat  me  to  caae  ^  laB.  I  Idt  aoH^if^  alltr 
tlurt.  Bflt  Arowi0i  tfiat  widdHi  daacwit  faiio  dwaini* 

^^^^^^^r  ^^^^^^^^^    ^^^^^vw^^    sv^^vMv^Hw  ^^^^^■■i^^^^p^^    w    ^p^Mvmy^p  ■  ^ipw^p 

uvuiuaout  iBwain  ot  a  wotnaiii  a  acrnni  ot  ncnon* 
Old  wmniiapeB^  a  acwain  of  loathipy  and 
col^l^lrtciiflMJit.  And  dm  I  iMdt  doim  Into  #  l^^T 
and  feadiery  noditngnest  where  there  ma  nrithfr 
ioiad  aor  %lit  nor  •i^lnir«oIofed  g^ofaa^ 


CHAPTER  NINETEEN 


I 


DON'T  know  how  loog  ft  wti  •fterwtfd  tiMft 

_  I  woke  up.  But  graduaUy  I  toeM  wmkm 
of  a  very  pleasant  swaying  and  fockilif  ncftioii.  H 
seemed  like  being  lulled  oit  tep««oi*  twaAit 
of  a  pine-tree  waving  in  a  deepy  99mSag  bnem 
It  left  me  so  contented  thit  I  WM  ^  ^"^^f 
lie  there.  Then  the  lazy  whispering  of  pioi 
merged  into  a  louder  sound,  and  one  bwA  mote  Vkm 
the  purring  of  machinery.  So  1 0at^4miM  to 
open  my  eyes  and  investigate 

It  startled  me  a  little  to  find  I  cooM  on^ 
half-way  succeed  in  tiiis  effort  For  mm  tif,  I  dis- 
covered, altogether  refused  to  open.  And  M 
shook  the  last  of  the  drowsiness  out  of  llife 

«W»ere  am  I?"  I  asked  of  nobody  in  porticidur, 
as  I  made  an  effort  to  sit  up  in  the  swaying  kaHwr 
seat  into  which  I  was  wedged  by  means  of  ^fM  m 
four  heavy  sofa-pillows. 
I  could  open  one  eye,  but  that  was  aB.  Foracfott 

my  other  eye,  I  discovered,  there  was  a  Imm  baii* 
And  voider  this  bandage,  I  further  found,  m 
335 


336     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


a  generous  ilioe  of  nw  beeftteak.  But  with  that 
one  good  tyt  I  was  able  to  eee  that  I  was  in  an  auto- 
mobik  and  that  this  automobile  was  once  more  t&k- 
hif  me  down  through  the  streets  of  what  was  unmis- 
tikably  New  Yoric. 

Bent  over  the  wheel,  dose  beside  me,  I  could 
makeoot  a  dear-esred  and  firm-lipped  young  woman. 
And  my  second  Uink  at  her  convinced  me  of  the  fact 
that  it  was  Garissa  BartleU  herself. 

That  made  me  sit  up.  It  was  not  so  easy  as  it 
soonds,  for  my  head  seemed  to  be  the  size  of  a 
Zeppdin  and  I  could  feel  a  distinct  sense  of  burning 
under  the  sticky  surface  of  the  raw  beefsteak. 

The  next  thing  that  came  to  my  attention  was  the 
fact  that  the  girl  driving  the  car  wore  a  very  fami- 
liar-looking coat  of  Hudson  seal.  The  memory  of 
where  it  had  come  from  brought  the  past  suddenly 
back  to  me. 

"Feeling  better?"  asked  the  girl  at  the  wheel  She 
seemed  indined,  on  the  whole,  to  give  me  little  atten- 
tion. Things  of  more  moment,  it  was  plain,  were 
occupying  her  mind. 

**Yes,"  I  told  her.  And  I  might  have  added  that  I 
was  also  feeling  a  little  less  superior.  But  instead 
of  doing  that  I  readjusted  the  slab  of  beefsteak  over 
my  blackened  eye. 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTRKHJB  W 


"Do  yoa  med  aaything?"  was  the  next  qnatioa 
Irooi  llit  yoang  woman  at  the  wheel. 

"ABodwr  lieiid,"  I  grimly  acknowledged. 

We  west  on  agun  in  silence,  for  several  blocks. 

*^odd  yon  nAoA  telling  me  just  what  happened 
hide  In  tlmt  haUr  I  finally  aeked.  That  question 
was  praopled,  I  think,  more  by  a  desire  to  have  her 
fdate  wHh  her  own  Upe  the  misdeeds  of  Michael 
OTook  than  by  any  mere  desire  for  information. 

Td  wther  not  trfk  lAottt  it,"  wai  CaariM*  Bart- 
lett'a  wry  deckled  annver.  But  tfieie  weie  certani 
thinga  whidi  did  not  and  eodd  not  escape  my  attenr 
tkn.  She  waawi&flM,  and  not  with  her  MkiiacL 
Utt  eerfier  kxik  el  kngnor  and  revolt  was  no  longer 
onkerto.  Shewatwrypate^Icoaklaee, forihe 
was  a  womn  who'd  luid  a  mddaai  and  ^  nwakHiF 
ing.  And  toe  wia  a  newer  note  about  her  laAi 
uM&y  toektd  hff  ear  down  tough  the  moi* 
crowded  areas  of  ftceadway,  a  note  of  decisiveneai, 
anoteeifiimIipP«dtorHanatotofacethewetit 
to  file  night  hcv*faifloce  lor  her.  Anditwaaa 
good  dctf  ol  a  cfaai.^  ton  ito  i  iMd  jeen  eafier 

in^e  dagf* 


m    rm  house  of  mrmm 


"Why?"  I  inquired. 

"We'll  know  that  much  earlier  than  yotx  esqpcct," 
annotmced  Qarissa  Bartlett  The  next  minute  she 
had  swung  in  h  M*.-  the  curb  mmI  twoui^t  the  car  tu 
a  stop.  I  glanced  u<\  >i^ith  zaj  '^ne  good  eye,  at  the 
liroestoae  frout  of  the  house  t'  t  towered  besidt 
US.  I  knew  it  at  o.-^^r.  It  was  the  house  of  intfipia 
which  I  had  so  hurriedly  left  the  night  before 

"9mU  I  oome?"  I  asked  the  girl  who  was  alreadj 
getting  down  from  ^  cwp-scat.  For  something 
•boot  the  newer  demeanr  -  of  l^s  teaded  to  len« 
me  less  self-assertive  than  I  had  been. 

"Of  course,"  was  her  oirt  reply  as  she  stepped 
across  the  sidewalk.  She  ptkssed  in^a  two  feet  of 
what  I  knew  to  be  a  plaisKicrthes  man  posted  there. 
But  she  ^pKMred  hni  «•  eoaa|^ely  a  though  he'd 
been  a  garfojrl^  cr  •  newd-post  §gar€  beloai^  to 
the  limestone  alift  up  wUA  Aft  was  so  fwpom 
fully  striding. 

I  could  see  her  finger  play  on  the  electric  beS.  ^ 
pressed  again  and  njiin    It  prodded  there*  1 
jiggled  and  danced  and  mt^mm&L  Bat  k  wm  wew^ 
cral  minutes  befa»c  there  wm      fMpeose  to  Iht 
sirthoriti^pe  ■imiinw 

Then  one  of  ^  hmaf  boafk  4am§  eftmi,  mm 


fMPd  oot  throng  the  aperture.   And  for  le  life 

of  me  I  couldn't  k  from  laughing  as  I  squinted 
up  at  those  two  a  ji  rhcnsive  old  faces.  They  made 
me  thaik  ot  a  coui  le  of  white  mice  peering  out 
between  the  Urs  of  a  ca^e.   For  I  saw  at  a  gl  nee 

Hat  it  was  oI«  Jtra  iiartlrtt  £  iiis  brother  Enoch. 
Those  two  old  *  the  vev^r,  now  looked  more 
than  wo!  ned.     he:  nappy  and  harrit 

■Bd  altor*J»«f  '       ****  ^  calamity 

wia  Aiat  obe     then.  feel    ite  sure  they 

hsve  da»    i  '     locked  that  door  in  our 

aces,  0t  r  nan  Bartlett  been  a  Uttle  too  qu  k 
for  them.  tcfeated  that  intention,  as  book 

apnt  do.  by  <:a99Pii«  the  door-ofcoing  witl  1 

ov   skarier  \  ly. 

•  Coin^t^     jie -ommauded,  with  a  motion  o 
Ikt  shot       ^  me,  for  she  was  ahneady  in  throi 
^  dot  »    tbii  tsme  and  siknUy  but  deUbcrate^ 
4^  -m$  ir  y  movement  to  ck>se  it 

Me  too  willingly  followed  her  into  that  house 

f  Lu  mphntrTf  n  ^'"-^   She  strode  across  the 

ijrf  iL   uoiind  ■  door  mi  thf  fiiht  Then  she  made 
s  mm.  a  towtrd  the  two  timoroas-eyod  okl  i^oitt 
|Wf«Hi«  ^ont  in  ^  diadowy  bedvroood. 
^4  Vkt  the  thfoe  oi  yoo  to  wait  in  heie  until  I 


S40     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


ning  to  see  miglit  be  called  a  oonstttuttooaUy  impen- 
ous  manner. 

She  did  not  tarry-  for  more.  Things  of  moment, 
i^iparently,  awaited  her  above  stairs.  And  I  could 
see  my  two  old  conspiratorial  friends  sidle  silently 
into  the  room  after  me.  We  all  sat  down,  watduof 
the  door. 

It  was  old  Ezra  Bartlett  who  9^ckt  first 

"You'd  best  beware  of  that  young  woman,"  be 
j^xKlaimed  in  a  venomons  yet  guarded  whisper. 

"Did  you  luqppen  to  be  addressing  me?"  I  in- 
quired, altempUug  to  fix  lum  with  a  cold  and 
hang^  stare.  But  it's  no  ea^  tlaiig  to  be  ooM 
■ad  haui^ty  when  you've  oafy  fot  one  eye. 

"I  tell  yoa  tint  woman's  an  inqxMtor,"  hissed  om 
tiie  <M  man,  anxkM^  watchinf  the  open  ioo€. 

"And  what  do  yoa  two  old  Wilert  nfard  yow 
wAt  as?**  I  coldly  hi^Bired. 
"What  does  sbe  sayl"  demmded  old  Bfote 

S^SO^lli  ^MF^tfl  OCMI  llftttd  ^Upl^cdl  bdfe^Bd^  Ills  ^fltfV 
JEflduiK  IBflflfti^Cfe^  p^ji^'yj^j^y  Cl^^lftiDS^I* 

"by  p4f  mt^MB,"  Imi  leid  mt  itfJTTf*?^ 

h^tfl        «IW  that  ^^^1  %mi<km  W^^A.  1# 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  3«l 

yoa  dont  tnrirrf***^  M  jFoa're  being  duped  and 
decebcd  and  made  a  Jtnpioff-Jw^  of,  jpou'ra  a 
bigger  fool  than  I  took  yon  fcr.** 
«And  whc>m  do  you  IwM  i«fl?oiiiiMe  for  aU  th»r 

I  cahnfy  tn^psued. 

^^No  one  bal  tfiat  oiatt  Waifabamr  was  Esra 
Bardett**  tibilani  answer. 

''And  a  pietty  Irattk  of  fiih  he's  got  at  in  forf 
concurred  Brodier  Enodi. 

*'W^  what  do  jm  ktfand  doing  about  'AT*  I 
intuited* 

Ify  tftn^uffity  teemed  to  escaapenie  Eaia  But- 
lett  bqrond  aft  endwranoe. 

"T>o  about  ftr  he  piped,  hi  an  ecataqr  of  ftfk 
*a>oaboatkl  teft  70a  ^iHm«  Fn  going  to  do 
^outit  If  ^doi^t  ktotoatof  hen  Wdadi 
half  an  hoof^  it  friim  iWr  Aentt  dnMif 

Inetn^tfitai  teemd  to  he  a  tort  of  hM  widi  the 

occMpai^a  of  Aat  .fawowpwheBeftle  auuwioB* 

1  KiAy  wtMddnft  do  I  ^pdi^mphhied 
tohan.  Tor thafe what d» #il up itaiw ttied ta 
do.  AnditoidycaitdhiliBvhig'emiodc  her  apr 
•WeU,  they  cant  kcfc  at  opr  die  OH  tfiowtol 
(umoaaoed  widi  oMdi  ^dgock  tt  aajAodaF^t  gateg 
to  g^  lodEed  «^  leap  ai  f^t,  ^a  dN^^yeai^  Waili* 
bumr 


342     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


MV^^A  «Utte      ^^^^      ^t^#-  M^li  ■  ■  M       3^  ^naa^fl^ 

OVK  wOiW  w  UUl  WMBMBIIi  wWl^ 

Thit  ^ucition  nmlM^  vnmwtrad.  For  a 
traoM  ted  efOMtd  tfK  teS  and  itqiped  into  tlw 
room.  She  wore  the  miicgm  of  a  traiiied  mnt. 
And  I  eoidi  let  et  omi  that  if  Afida  Led- 
wid|(e> 

She  efeopped  and  slaved  at  dia  toe  of  as,  wMi  a 
locdc  of  wonder  ia  her  casleauirily  tranqua  eye. 
Then  ihe  stepped  over  to  fliiy  stde*  iluad  at  tibe 
baadige  ahoot  my  head,  and  tStmif  toned  wbj  hm 
t«>tiie  light  so  that  steeoaid  see  it  better.  Herlook 
of  wowler,  I  fomid,  had  de^eaad  into  one  of  iadif- 

••Who  4UL  thatr  she  asked,  stifl  looldng  at  the 
Mt  of  hs^staak  so  acady  embedded  ia  lineB. 

'mhasH^  was  my  grim  response,  with  as 
upwaid  awMmaatoltehead.  "Her  Michael  r 

She  stoei  ikmn  lor  a  i&omsnt  or  two,  without 
ipaihiwg.  iM  I  cotddahnost  hear  the  wheels  of  her 
haidn  going  round,  Iftea  watch  with  its  case  open. 

'^oas-^dass  sIk  know  ft?"  the  woman  in  the  uni- 
fcam  Andly  arivd. 

mieougltt  to."  I  announced.  "Sheior^itr 

I  «is3A  perceive  a  skw  change  cre^  up  over  that 


THE  HOVSS  OP  QITK^IS  M 


iBlni%  Madloat  tab  Tte  look  of  queirioning 
^,,  ,Hyi,.ijr  into  M  of  dclf«cf«we^  e< 


Imt  iptrit  of  gratitude. 


and  cMOid  iimniiiiiiiil  <ii 
Tn  101^  I       M»  tUofi  H*      yo»  ^"  I 

Milt  yoa  tn^t  M  don't  yoa  under- 
HMd  lw»  ^»  MiA  iMT  itt  fhtafi?  HovfitliM 
bfoo^  IMT  li^  iilM  tli*      t&  lind.  10 

*nroB  «Mft  ^poioi  her  ejret     dotioc  oat  of 
fldBtr  wit  «gr  tumtwliit  intiilliiiil  iiimaint 
Bat  At jteMtod  fMB  of  At  veoMB  i»  At  «Bi- 


Mi  Aw,  Bii|ytw#.t»AM#Att— iAi« 
ti;^^n  air,  ArtAfM*^  oat  tuinmltw  midt^ 


344      THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


Ht  appealed  tide  bjr  tide  widi  Copft^Mi  ICiili^ 
and  h  waaa't  inta  I  twtpt  ten  a  Meood  glaaet 
that  I  discovered  they  were  handcuffed  togedier. 

That  enforced  onion,  I  cookl  aee,  was  as  dirtartei 
fid  to  Pinkjr  McCkoe  as  h  was  to  Coppefhead 
herself.  But  I  no  tonfer  gave  ten  naeh  thooght* 
for  the  next  moment  I  saw  that  they  were  betng 
herded  into  the  room  by  Big  Ben  Locke  himself. 

"Sit  down  there  r  was  his  cart  command,  as  he 
poshed  his  two  prisoners  toward  a  Loots-Seiae  sofa 
of  brocaded  silk.  And  they  sat  down  on  that  fra- 
gile-legged sofa,  eying  cadi  oter  with  open  hoa- 
taity. 

Then  the  Chief  seemed  to  see  me  for  the  first  teer 
"mki,  Baddier  he  said  as  eas^  aa  thoo^i  he 
wna  accosiiHg  me  over  am  oinee  obk. 

I  gnardedly  replied,  lor  at  te  parting 
br  moment  there  were  quite  a  nnnber  9i  things 
worrying  me.  In  te  &st  {dace,  I  was  wondering 
what  had  become  of  Wen^Wasitere.  Aailwas 
perplexed  as  to  Bod  and  what  coold  have  h^pened 
tohhn.  And  I  was  forther  troubled  by  te  thooght 
that  the  black  dub-bag  was  still  nowhere  in  ngfat 

"That's  a  great  piece  of  work  you've  been  doing 
for  the  office,  Baddic,"  acknowledged  the  airily 
approving  Big  Ben,  with  a  frown  over  his  shoulder 


THE  HOUSE  OP  INTBI^JE  34S 


at  the  couple  on  the  sofa,  who  were  still  jerking  so 
fretfully  at  each  other's  clinking  wrist-bones.  They 
reminded  me  of  twins  in  a  nursery  bed,  accusing 
each  other  of  trespass  on  private  territory.  And 
they  looked  as  if  they  would  gladly  and  readily  have 
bitten  each  other's  ears  off. 

"Whose  office?"  I  inquired. 

"Our  office,  of  course  1"  was  Big  Ben's  prompt 
retort.  But  I  was  thinking  of  other  things. 

"Where's  Bud  Griswold?"  I  demanded. 

It  wasn't  Big  Ben  who  answered  that  question, 
but  Copperhead  Kate  herself. 

"Oti,  it's  up  to  that  king  of  snitches  to  keep  him- 
«elf  safe,"  she  amouiiced  with  her  mirthless  cackle 
of  a  \aa^  that  made  me  think  of  a  guinea-hen. 
''You  can  bet  he  wasn't  going  to  let  anythiog  ister- 
fete  with  his  fade-away!" 

"He's  goner  I  fMpcd. 

"Sam  he's  go»  gone  where  this  bunch  wiU 
neter  see  him  again.  And  what's  more,  he  took 
your  bag  oi  jiaik  with  Urn.  Trust  Bud  for  that!" 

I  knew  Htm  wmdd  msaiL  Bud  had  always 
faeefi  a  "ekm"  irotlBBr.  I  remembered  his  method. 
He  Wftr  Itik  aagr  loose  titilB*  ViOMn  he  took  gold, 
Ik  i^m^  meM  k  donii^  no  matm  idiat  it  ml|^ 
lose  in  ^  proetsa.  Aad  ute  It  cmm  to  TiSm^ 


346     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


ke  Ik  always  pkM  ^nm  tlieir  wtHim 

and  di^oMi  mi  tea  akigijr.  Tliat,  in  iMt, 
1^  he  hai  alM9>a  fMientd  ke.   A  pearl  was 
i^ways  a  pari,  ani*  4iaawnd  i^wajrt  a  rfiamiml 
Itcorfdtedqtfiwtirfittttotitybyttnwfrifiw 

its  seltiBC  bat  ila  cooMasseial  irakis  teoaiaBd 
•me.  And^Mhaicvrieioff  diatdeMMictt 
M      too  piaiKliirt  it  was  gone  for  food. 

'Is  tfiis  womm  lyiagr  I  aiked  Big  Ben.  Ap^ 
I  ccwkl  see  ^  iadi  of  hale  fm  Coppotod  Kate's 
pale  green  eyes  as  I  put  iStt  ywition  to  hte. 

*That  wanwi'd  bettsr  keep  her  tn^  dmt,"  was 
the  answer  of  ti»CiBe{»  ifBortag  bo^  nqr 
and  his  prisoner  luge&er* 

''But  what  I  want'yon  to  do,  6addie»  is  to  get 
after  this  guy  liriswold,  snd  get  after  1^  rif^ 
away.  Yon  knew  Ins  tfidES.  And  yon  laww  ^ 
trails.  So  the  sooner  yon  s%  out  on  tiie  job  of 
rounding  him  up  the  bettsr  f 

I  squinted     at  Big  Ben  iR^ii  my  one  good  tft. 

"Why  shoi^  I  go  after  Bud  Grivvdd?"  I 
ocwisnoeo. 

"Because  T  hsi'siisi  oor  efiee  wmBt»  him 
foimded  up."  was  the  GBef s  matler-ol^^  re^y. 
'^eli,  what  asB  I  to  you,  or  your  ofios^  I 


inquired,  rcnKmbcrii«  my  lut  quarter  of  an  hour 
in  that  same  office. 

"My  dear  girl,  we're  both  going  to  forget  about 
that  httk  of  yours,"  he  condoningly 

announced. 

"But  I  haven't  forgotten  about  your  little  flare- 
up,"  I  pointedly  reminded  him. 

"But,  good  heavens,  Baddie,"  he  contended,  with 
a  gTMt  air  of  injured  hmocence,  "you  don't  s'pose 
I  was  responsible  for  that,  do  you?  Now  that  you 
know  the  lay  of  tiw  land?  Now  tint  you  see  things 
straight?" 

"That's  just  the  trouble,"  I  told  him,  "I  haven't 
been  able  to  see  things  straight  1" 

He  looked  at  me  with  wcH^leifncd  astonishment, 
ahnost  with  impatience. 

"Well,  what  happens  ta bt  ttrnk  m  your  craw?" 

he  inclggpntly  inqnired. 
There  were  a  good  many  thinp  rtuek  ther^  and 

I  iirtcnded  to  let  him  know  it. 

-Jn  the  first  place,  whose  house  was  that  up  the 
Utdma,"  I  ikminrtfi  with  a  gesture  of  contempt 
imiUfrt  morose-eyed  Michael,  "where  you  gath- 
•rad  fai  tfria  bit4iearted  INT  ^ 


348     THE  HOUSE  0^  IHTRIGUE 

I  iMid  tiie  wlitiMtkm  of  iMinv  Piid7 

vsiAiMttiag  fefortaet  to  hb  attire.  % 
nrhit  WW  WaiMm't  nnner  lK»ier 
«^cndy  WaiUmm'sr  I  dcnnded,  with  a 

'*0f  Conner  repfied  the  Chief. 

IktthiinnkiiL  Thn  I  aahed  nqr  next  qneittua. 

•Then  whet  WM  thb  ofook  McCfcjiie  doMf  lip  «t 
Mhooie?  And  at  ^  hooM,  toor 

nVorkhif  a  Uackmaa  acfaeme  for  wWdi  hell  fit 
ehont  teuTean,"  was  tfie  Chief  §  cnrt  iclort 

•Tlot  on  yowr  Bfer  moioadj  yet  viforoni^ 

hilerpolatcd  Rnky,  who.  mute^,  like  io  nany 

of  hie  kind,  prided  himidf  on  narefaii  a  wotkini 

knowkdfe  of  the  tow. 
•TThen  1^  hfon#il^  woman  to  tWe  partkular 

home  to  rob  die  waO-Mfer*  I  hifBifed.  And  I 
cookl  hear  CofpeilMad  Kale'e  enort  of  anftr  #  aqr 
contemptuous  phraee  of  woaes." 

•That,"  Mdd  Biff  Ben,  'Svae  what  jonTd  call  a 
coinddenee,  and  nothinf  njore.  She  and  Unt  jaik 
hird  woffch«4nate  of  hen  fot  an  hiiide 
then  wM  food  pickinffi  here  'end  the  hs|^MI|  ^ 
to  meek  hi  ^Ami  Hmn  we*  coniideraHe  ehe  going 
OB  aroond  the  prcniaM.** 

thi^  ^p  ooaie  from  tliSB^fep®  fi^  wt^df  * 
^mT  I  ihiiiiaM  dwignatfaff  ^  two  old  an^ 


19  ca     fw  tide  of  t'ae  room. 
«H«yr  crkd  Brothtf  fijwdi,  with  hit  hand 

<«Whift  thatr  ntfptd  out  Brother  Em,  with 
wtf  hihbiadMloldeye. 

•ThoM  two  6Ui  fetter  was  Big  Ben's  none  toe 
flmieiiaf  csdMBBlioii.  'Ifasn't  it  ever  struck  yoa 
tfWl  tluM  two  oM  fUa  are  a  Uttle  nutty  r 

II  hid  aot  But  I  found  no  chance  to  deny  it, 
lor^  faM&wt  aeciHitkn  hMt  bRwgfat  Ezra  Bart- 
]tlt««|  «f  hi»clMir  lik»  a  hornet  out  of  its  nest 

<^fHltyr  hi  fiped  in  his  OsnSk  and  trenraloat 
Itliiiiu  uf  hifftiMlliii  '^0fmmmmmmy^tKm 
jfmwm  Wt—yhwwbwfiir!  to  come  here  and 
lit  Hm       hMl  wt  didafl  CMtt  here  to  be  called 

Uffiflf  yotnvwoMBt  We—'* 
^fht  !«•  !«•  two  old       *A  ll»  Wttw  r  BIf 

Bn  LflA»  iliMiwIi  wnlndad  hfan. 
«1M  Ffoilood  Iw  omA  of  «hb«idM«l  tO^ 

■nj^W  rm  piy  tir  hm  iirri^ 
vadtnbHid?  Fn  foii«to«^iidwtr^t(it  «»«r 
iBdf«nai«t  ^ 


ZSO     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 


<<Thiit  nui  WaiiteB  M**  m  tf»  cM  wMMft 

retort. 

I  renwiAerwI  wiM*  Owi-a  Bwditt  toM 
and  once  noK  I  f  onad  oootideraUi  to 

•Then  do  you  maa  to  nqr  tlnl  Wtndy  WMfc- 
burn  also  paid  you  to  waylay  mt  Uvfiag  M 
office  in  the  Atteroid  BiaMagT* 

I  could  tee  Big  Ben's  tyt»t3btSkof^limmHSkr 
man.  Bui  H  was  jOain  Att  I*  wMo't  to  be  intl"!- 

dated. 
"He  did" 

"But  how  did  you  know  I  wai  foing  to  be  k  Aat 

building,  or  at  that  officer 
Again  Big  Ben  tried  to  saenee  the  ftHeddweaiil 

But  things  had  gone  too  far  for  ttoee. 

"I  didn't  know  yon  wtie  going  to  tint  cAee.  Td 
been  posted  outside  of  ^  i«aa  Lodrft  effiee  aad 
told  to  follow  you." 

••You'd  been  posted  Ae»r  I  wpiitwi,  tnrBtaf 
slowly  about  on  Big  Ben.  Tkml^dAwamlmm 
I  was  going  to  bump  into  JtMtwhiA  I  rfWhoHi^  into, 
on  that  particular  afternooB?**  I  drmindiid,  iKfeg 

the  big  detective. 
Big  Ben  shifted  uneasily  feom  one  foot  to  t|e 

odier. 

"What's  the  use  o'  messing  aronad  wm3t 


THE  HOUSE  OF  mnUGM  SSI 


•SriwB  Wn  got  nd 


•toff  »tt  lit 

A.  ■tdllt  lull  MMfatC  (MP 


1  wtalyoiito 


ngrftteftioar' 


"Whtt  fMttioiir  iM  equivocated, 
n       to  know  If  3fwi  knew  tiM*  }ttit  iHm* 
poMd  in  Tonr  offiee     ote  aflMBooB  irw  foiag 

to  tHippftt?** 

•q^ei^e       one  tfriof  about     if  tiiat  whole 

thfaig  waa  a  inmtmf^  I  iwwt  to  midemaiid  jut 

fdiatitwaaforr 
B^Beatnedtotettsfameaikk. 

Bad^  foa%  wm  flMdoe  iMpe  giaad 
denai,  widi  ^  gfaad  jvnr       o'  yoofa  r 
'mat  wat  k  lerr  I  itpeatod 
My  one  food     net  both  of  hie  eentwhat  fa»» 

ded^  TheRloraB 


heloehed 


back  over 


lOe  ihooider,  tewwd 


ThenhekxMbadcatfli 

hb  eodden  and  toowwhat  leirateiit  aaewcr.  **Aad 
iftiwfe 

young  WaaMMtm 


dear  ae  flwd  to  yon,  ybo'd 
hiii»df,forl8eeh^ej«it 


hi  dttoogh  that  doorr 


CHAPTER  TWENTY 

I REALIZED,  as  I  fcjofcid  vp  tad  mm  Wendy 
Washburn  step  iirto  tfw  room,  llirt  oot  of  flie 
biggest  crosses  a  womMi      to  be»  if  to  iod  htr- 

self  unable  to  be  indigiuuit  wiA  m  mw  when  4k 
wants  to  be  indignant  wftk  Wbl 

I  had  every  reason  to  kaow  Aero  wtt  •  roeko** 
ing  ahead  for  Wendy  WasMmrn.  a  rodioetaf 
would  show  him  up  in  colort  wWdi  lie  <o«Mntfoe> 
siWy  be  proud  of.  But  even  wWte  I  told  mgrntf 
that  I  ought  to  abhor  him,  1  couldn't  Iwlp  letf«f 
wordlessly  and  fooliAly  glad  that  hi  wti  iiii^ 
back  in  that  room. 

As  I  glanced  at  him  the  fir*  tfane,  even  ia  Ai* 
uncertain  light,  I  could  see  th^  he  Mady^md 
tired  and  worried.  But  it  wasn't  until  I  fhooid 
him  a  second  time  that  I  saw  he  was  carrying  a  UtA 
dub-bag  in  his  hand.  And  I  knew,  by  the  ^paHty 
triumphant  Ught  in  his  eye.  that  Aif  bag  wa«it 
empty. 

Yet  before  any  one  there  could  change  his 
fkfa  or  speak  to  him  Alicia  Ledwidgc  had  stqfid  to 

352 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  353 


his  side.  She  did  so  with  a  note  of  qttkt  tuthority 
which,  for  a  moment,  I  was  tenqited  to  reseat  Bat 
I  had  no  way  of  knowing  what  happened  between 
them  as  they  talked  together,  bw  and  earnestly. 
Once,  and  once  oni/,  he  turned  and  stared  at  me. 
But  he  did  so  with  a  look  of  pale  abstraction  which 
convinced  me  tha>  '  ?  was  thinking  of  entirely  dif- 
ferent things.  And  I  realized  that  things  were  con- 
tinuing to  shape  themselves,  that  day,  to  make  me 
feel  much  less  superior  than  I  had  felt. 

So  I  sat  there,  looking  meekly  around  me.  I  real- 
ized, as  I  did  so  that  we  were  a  very  interesting  col- 
lection, on  the  whole.  But  i  realized  at  the  same 
tim^  that  I'd  seen  about  ,  <oL^h  of  that  collection. 
I  was  tired  of  them,  from  O  ;  '  ^d  Kate  and  her 
green  snake's  eyes  to  the  l.i  ' :  s  isel  in  black  and 
Pinky  McQonc  in  his  sulphur-colored  gloves.  I 
was  tired  of  wearing  a  compress  of  beefsteak  on  one 
eye.  I  was  blue  and  lonesome,  and  felt  pretty  much 
like  a  dying  duck  in  a  thunder^t  .n.  I  was  home- 
sick for  something  which  I  cottMn't  explain,  evai 
to  myself,  although  a  still  voice  somewhere  under 
my  fifth  rib  kept  whispering  there  was  a  better  place 
for  beefsteak  than  over  one's  cheek-bone. 

And  it  was  Big  Ben  Locke's  sonorous  dwl^ 
tones  that  broi^^  me  suddenly  out  of  mywU. 


354     THE  HOUSE  INTiUGUE 

lyyou  mean  to  say  you  got  your  stuff  backr* 
he  donndcd  oi  Wendy  Washburn,  staring  at  Urn 

cii;dl>-bag.  ^ 
My  Hero-Man  slowly  moved  his  head  up  aM 

"But  how'd  you  do  it?"  insisted  the  UY  Old  Bill- 
Pinkerton-O  f -Thc-East. 

«I  had  the  chance  of  grabbing  Griswold,  or  the 
fmty  jwdc,  when  Griswold  passed  the  bag  to  a 
lady  confederate  of  his." 
•*What  confederate?"  demanded  Big  Ben. 
"She  lawrers  to  the  name  of  Third-Arm  Annie. 
Andlchoeethe  junkl" 

«Thit  cat  I"  cried  Copperhead  Kate,  with  a  quidc 
Belt  of  jetlonsy  in  her  voice.  But  I  was  paying 
mt  ttttalioii  to  Copperhead  Kate's  personal  feel- 
Ingp.  }«it  Aw.  for  I  was  carefully  watching  Wendy 
maim'*  face,  and  Wendy  Washburn  was  in 
tm  euM&f  watching  mine.    For  I  knew,  as 
Mfym^bM^ht  had  said  it  in  so  many  words, 
tiHH  ke  ted  driiteiately  allowed  Bud  Griswold  to 
mOm  W»  frt-away,  when  he  mi#it  have  done  just 
tte  opposite,  had  he  so  choMn. 
-And  tew'd  fm^  Ami^r'  punned  the  matter- 

1  gal  ter  it  A»  «iel  when  she  wai 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  3S5 


GfaadCMilSlite.  Itiratft^dnc 
and,  I  •qppoM,  tiiqr  M  Ut  on  it  MoiilMiid. 
idMA  I  iUpptd     Iv      biK  At  wonuu 
ntted  «ingr  tad  foUlHiidl  in  At  cmdr 

''So  h^t  ftMfy  to  tloa^i  wilii  tlMit  mitt  tfyar 
CopptflMtd  Kalt  nnomoiMly  and  «iid&fy  im^ 
tatod.  I3m  all  oditr  woewn,  slie  cktffy  dfanp- 
provcd  ^  rMa.  BhI  Ikt  wwdHaHow  wtft  cut 
iiwft  bgr  a  qntroioni  qncttioa  ton  oat  el  t!it  old 


"Yon      iKvt  fet  yo«r  liaf  bade"  Ik 
'^nt  wiMt  w  mm  to  kaofir  it:  Wm%  it 

bod^r 

"Bof^r  tdiotd  Wtafy,  not  aodinlaiidiiH 

questioiL 

It  vat     fBitl-^  Afida  Ltdipidii  lAo 
poatd  irt  tUtpottt* 

'*He  meant  die  bo^f  <^  tet  foor  B»id,  At 
ctBtd  Margaret  Hmffir,**  ilit  foinlad  oat  to  aqr 
Htf^-lfm.  Tben  Ac  tamed  to  dd  Ezra  Bardttt. 

'nrbat  bodbr  wat  tokta  Mray  by  tht  taidtrtdMn  at 


ba|iptm  with  quite  a 


of  boditt  Ib  Ait 


At  calmly  and  prosaically  explaintd  to  At  tow 
fDond-Qftd  old  oonipinton> 
'Thtn  why  wtft  w«  ttld  to  dAa  AM  tfdt  |o«g 


m   TBS  sioms  or  imtsicus 

— <hi8  young  whippei^snapper  of  a  girl  here  bad 
IdUed  her?"  demanded  irate  old  Brother  Ezra. 

«*We'd  better  cut  out  this  wrangling!"  suggcftcd  ^ 
Bif  Baa  Locke,  a«  he  moved  over  toward  where  his 
twopriaooerssatontheLouis-Seiresofa.  He  made 
a  cart  motion  for  them  to  get  to  their  feet. 

Wendy  Washburn,  at  the  same  moment,  stepped 
o«ar  ff5?t*-  to  the  chair,  where  I  sat.  I  could  not  see 
fiN  miriii'""  CO  hia  face,  for  I  refused  to  look  at 
Ida.  1^  aomething  about  that  expression,  appar- 
el^, WW  diatasteful  to  Copperhead  Kate.  For  as 
il»  rose  to  her  feet  she  emitted  a  loud  and  fearless 
iMtolMaiflii.  Then  aha  awnngaboat  and  faced 

a  jwl  like  yon  wax-doll  ribs,"  she  called  out 
^nanort,  "to  freaaann  to  aomathim  wortk  aboot 
iMdrannUioni" 

«^orth  about  half  a  million?"  I  repeated,  being 
i»wkla  of  the  mark  for  a  moment  that  I  thought 
At  M  alffl  biffiiV  Ml  liM  ahMiC  and     toot  k 

kaM. 

-Wad  da  irai  IWW  by  that?"  I  aikad  her. 

n  mm  that  there,"  slia  retorted,  pointing 
alMl^  H  mm»f  Wiilkam.  "Ami  you  know 
wiwl  M  waf^  Of  |a«  MidBf I  li  fiP" 
iptf^pilfllAMMir 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  357 

I  doo^  IBW  wMmt  I  dHBftd  color  or  art. 

Bttt  I  oodii  M  ft  «M  «f  tftoi  fl«i  MPMp 
through  me,  fm  tof  to  to%  Mi  X  #t  «sr  M 
wither  that  waaMB  with  ft  Ml  Ulwtm^^ 
gether  MOMtsfirf  in  tUt»  it  flMHikMtaiimMft 

of  the  heefiteak  bandage. 

"Roping  it  downr  I  ftpMled,  iiiBftg  iai  m 
nerveiwm  at  last  getting  ttehillir  fti  M  •WiH 
the  whole  lot  of  you  can  take  it  Ifoa  tm  Mat 
going  to  get  out  of  it  mom,  aad  fit  oat  <l  il  iar 
good.  Fori  say  again  ^rtFrntlfid  of  it»i«ittoiii 
of  everybody  in  it  I*m  tired  d  hataf  cwtod  anwii 
and  being  man-haukd  and  boiaf  flMida  ft  catspaw 
Fm  tired  of  being  lied  to.  FmlMttfmt^mi 
cowards,  md  if  from  this  day,  thm^t  wmy  way  of 
gifting  through  Uft  without  li$tking  wHk  M 
brtid,  I'm  going  to  find 

My  voice  was  unsteady,  wdA  a  IMt  Mi  iNHi 
excitement,  I  st^pose,  bet  it  didn't  seem  tft  hsvi  tkt 
•laetrifying  tff«ct  I  had  loolcad  for. 

All  it  did,  in  fact,  was  to  bring  a  sudden  and 
quite  unkwlced-ior  ixclamatioa  kom  Waiidgr  Wail^ 
bum. 

"Clear  out  of  hert.  the  whole  pack  of  yo«r  it 

miAy  mwmni%it  "im  I  wm  to  lifc  to  tkiayoirtg 


m     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE 

There  was  a  note  of  authority  in  his  voke  wUch 
I  couldn't  help  resenting,  just  as  there  was  a  riBf 
of  triumph  in  it  which  I  couldn't  quite  understand. 

"Lady?"  scoffed  the  departing  Copperhead 
Kate,  over  her  shoulder.  But  that  open  scorn  of 
hers  was  cut  short  by  the  sharp  tug  on  the  wrist  with 
which  Pinky  McClone  favored  her.  I  could  afford 
to  i^KXf  the  taunt  But  I  wasn't  sorry  to  see  her 

I  knew  that  Wendy  Washburn  was  standing  m 
front  of  me,  waiting  to  speak.  But  I  had  no  inten- 
tion of  looking  up  at  him,  for  I  could  feel  my  under^ 
lip  trembling,  and  I  didn't  want  him  to  find  it  out. 

That  silence  lasted  so  kmg,  however,  that  it  began 
to  seem  silly  to  me.  So  I  decided  to  break  it 

"What  do  you  want  to  talk  to  me  about?**  I 
teianded,  thoi^  for  the  life  of  me  I  couldn't  make 
It  sound  as  stem  as  I  wanted  to  make  it  sound. 

"About  tke  most  important  thing  in  all  the 
wofl^*'  wm  WtB#  WuhlMim'i  perfectly  solemn 

I  looked  ^  at  him,  at  that  I  coukin't  help  it,  for 
I  wanted  to  make  sure  of  his  meaning.  And  I 
noticed,  as  I  looked  at  him,  that  he  seemed  suddenly 
diffem^  He  seeawd  to  be  taking  his  turn  at  appear- 
iuf  1  wi wpwitr      wiff  irf  *-'-r^'  Butitwaiii't 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  359 

thb  air  of  Immmtj  dm  tfitwM  AM;  Rmttte 
diKOTcry  tluit  he  IoqImkI  tirtd  and  worn,  a  Httk  oM 
and  drawn  abont  tiie  egret.   And  tfiat  nadt  m 

sorry  for  Mm,  in  spite  of  nqreelf . 

''What  do  ]roa  wantr  I  aAed,  trying  to  nMtka  tftt 
question  as  hard  and  cart  as  I  was  able. 

*1  want  you  to  help  me,"  was  Us  aaawtr.  Hi 

spoke  very  quietly,  but  somediing  about  Ma  ^raiea 
started  a  pulse  going  on  cacb  aida  of  my  neck  just 
above  my  coat-ct^ur. 

"But  surely  you  heard  me  say  I  wii  tind  ci 
people  who  are  deceitful  and  crodBed  and  cow* 
ardly,"  I  reminded  him,  steeling  my  heart  afifailt 
that  unfsiir  spirit  of  humility  with  wMch  ht  waa 
trying  to  outflank  my  will  before  it  could  dig  il- 
self  in. 

"And  yon  pot  me  in  with  that  dass?"  he  quietly 
inquired. 

"You  put  yourself  in  with  that  dass,"  I  reminded 
him,  recalling  the  things  that  had  come  to  me  610* 
ing  those  last  two  days  of  storm  and  stress. 

"Listen  to  me,"  he  said,  with  a  return  of  his  more 
authoritative  tone,  "you've  just  said  you  were  side 
and  tired  of  dishonest  people,  of  crooks,  as  you 
called  them.  Well,  that's  the  one  thing  I've  been 
wanting  to  do,  I've  been  ttying  to  do.  You  thought 


300     THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRICam 

M  you  could  only  live  by  excitement— end  I 
tfKMifat  it  would  be  easy  to  show  you  that  thii 
WMB't  true,  simply  by— well,  by  giving  you  an  over- 
dose of  it  Then  things  got  muddled  up,  as  you  see 
tli^  have.  Whether  I  was  right  or  wrong,  /  twrn/rd 
to  make  you  tired  of  all  that  other  kind  of  life.  I 
trUd  to  make  you  tired  of  it  But  I  never  dre^ed 
these  other  things  were  going  to  happen  to  you!" 

'Then  you  knew  I  was  in  Locke's  oflSce?"  I  asked 
Un,  compelling  myself  to  calmness. 

•Tes,  I  knew  it— and  I  wanted  you  out  of  it,"  he 
Bkeckly  acknowledfed. 

««Bee«iie  I  wanted,  yoa  to  help  me,"  he  replied, 
slier  a  moment's  pause. 
••At  what?"  I  asked. 

••At  Ae  moat  dangerous  calling  a  man  can  po»- 
iftly  have-^t  of  doing  nothing  I" 

I  was  thinking  of  the  girl  above  stairs;  and  the 
IhoBi^  of  h«f  wM  aw  tn  libtttoi  curtain  between 

VIM, 

••k        to  me  thit  you've  be«  doing  rather  too 

moA,**  I  amended. 
"B&iSt,**  h$  pkadfd,  "don't  be  too  hard  oo  me  1" 
Bnl  llwrt  w&t  too  much  to  remember. 
«Aad  |0B  fcww,  ttt  akMii,  tluit  B«d  Griwokl 


THE  HOUSE  OF  INTRIGUE  361 


to  Mh^  bin  I  kad  to  f«ii  «r  Mii 


m  hftrd 

of  it 

got  lib  eowrktiom  fai  DMit,  I  ivat  Inptaf  #wl  it 


would  be  giving  you  yoor 

Btt  wB^  COMMH  t  you 

abomitri 


•<IlnitwitwwliopilMi»''htadBiHtod.  "AaddM 
way  yoo  fed  atoot  it  now  pravee  m 


ever  r^pic* 

I  wm  mora  sMd  of  Ut  konffi^  Hm  of  Ide 

aMe  to  appeil  to  agr  ame  of  p^.  Porae 
woman  CM  fuA  aony  fof  ft  ammi  tsd  hale  lite  al 
tbe 


tfMN||^  I  tedB*! 

I'm  aMd  Fvo  tean  a  traMe  to  yoo,**  I  eil4 
trying  to  giro  n  iiiiitition  of  tfM  Spldmi  aai 
etttunm  night,  *'almoat  an  mask  tfovbla  aa  diat 
oowia  of  yomw  np-alaifif* 

Xlaiter  he  laid,  widi  a  trodiled  teow. 

"She  hat  told  me  of  your  iatentioii  to  atony  her," 
I  went  00,  though  the  worda  didnt  come  eai^. 


las     THE  HWISE  OF  INTRIGUE 

••And  you  believed  that?" 
«Why  ihouldii't  I?" 

He  ttood  for  a  moment,  silent  tad  tf»oq|^^ 
Did  Claire  also  teU  you  that  I 
Aatwasevil?  That  I  was  hard  and  cnwir 

"I  think  she  did." 
••And  did  you  believe  that?"  1« 

out  for  my  hand.  1 1-4  to 

I  didn't  want  to  seem  afraid  of  him.  VOimmwm 

look  him  honestly  and  openly  in  the  eye. 
••Did  you  believe  that?"  he  repeated 


«NoI"  I  finally  repUed.  Yetitwa«*t' 

intended  answering.  , 

"And  are  you  going  to  believe  thote 
tlungiofmer'hewenton.  He  was  muAiteJBI^ 
than  I  was.  so  I  had  no  way  of  kwping  l*» 
dimwing  me  closer  to  him. 

•*Ar«  you?"  he  repeated. 

•Vof •  I  said  in  a  whisper,  becinriaf  to  W  Mfct 
»  IWW-man  in  a  March  rain-shower,  ^ 
longer  humbk.  1^  thU  time,  but  his  oW  «Mttf« 
telf  again. 

"And  do  you  hrtc  mer  he  demanded,  taking  iwi 

fa  his  arms. 

I  tried  to  speak  caknly,  but  I  wasn  t  aWa  Ift  _ 

••Ko,"I«M.wiAaiobof  nirrender.  AndMi** 


THB  HOUSE  OP  INTIUGUB  MS 
teg  oofy  OM  fjft,  at  tlM  tiHH^  I M  ao  iPif  of  kM)W> 

mjiilkitlj  telo  tiw  iVKMB  wbA  Iosd4  wt^lj^ 
Mt  htuA  m  Htm  ilmdder  of  Iht  firfit  tMriMlNd 
gwartflia  m  hw.  Aad  I  Mt  mty  lor  lur*  Per 
At  terf  bit  IMT  Hvo-Mw  md  I  kftd /mm!  ntat. 


TBI  BHD 


